Desperately Waiting
by kimberlina1381
Summary: A misunderstanding causes Haley to leave Nathan. Six years later, fate has thrown them back together. Can they find their way back to each other amid all the secrets and lies?
1. Chapter 1

**Note: I do not own anything except the storyline.**

Virginia Beach, Va. (Friday)

The cool September breeze blew through Haley James's hair as she sat on the sandy beach with her son Jamie seated next to her, contently playing with his pail and shovel. The gentle crashing of the waves onto the sand provided a calmness that she craved. Ever since she had left Tree Hill, her mind was on constant overdrive, always attuned to the possibility that the past would catch up with her. The first night after she arrived in Virginia, one of the first places she had gone to was the beach. It was almost out of pure instinct. Sunsets at the beach was the only time that she allowed her mind to be calmed, to allow all thoughts of _him_ to be emptied.

After she had left Tree Hill, she had created a totally different life for herself, complete with a new name. In Virginia, she was Gwen Scott, high school English teacher and single mother to James "Jamie" Lucas Scott. Keeping the Scott name was the only risk that she took in her past catching up to her, but she could not deny Jamie his name. She had simply told everyone that Jamie's father was no longer in the picture and left it at that. And although she tried like hell to hide it, anyone could see the sorrow in her eyes whenever Jamie's father was mentioned.

Staying focused on Jamie, school, and her career, she had been able to keep thoughts of Nathan at bay and push them to the back of her mind. But slowly, as her life became somewhat easier to manage, he started creeping back into her thoughts more frequently. It seemed that the smallest thing could trigger some sort of memory. Whenever she smelled the scent of his aftershave he used or the first time that Jamie had asked to taste prime rib, it all reminded her of him. She had been in total denial when she thought she could forget and move on by moving to another state. There was just simply no forgetting Nathan Scott.

She looked down as Jamie began tugging on her leg to play in the sand with him, but she was distracted by the day and the significance of what it meant to her life. This would have been her 7th wedding anniversary to Nathan Scott. As the emotions began to overtake her, the tears trickling down her cheeks, she lifted Jamie into her lap and held him close to her. Her mind wandered back to the day that was the beginning of the end.

_Flashback_

"_HALEY! Where are you?! HALEEEEEEEESSSSS" Nathan shouted as he ran into their apartment._

"_Nathan, for God's sakes, I'm right here, why are you shout-" Haley looked up bewildered from her spot on the couch. Nathan, in his excitement, leapt over the couch and hugged her tightly._

"_Hales, I got in! I got into High-Flyers!" he exclaimed excitedly. Haley pulled back and looked at him with wide eyes._

"_Are you serious? Baby, that is so amazing! I knew you would! We totally have to celebrate" Haley launched herself back into his arms as he lifted her up from the couch and twirled her around the room. When the initial thrill of excitement had worn off, they both landed on the floor in a heap, out of breath. She propped herself up on her elbow and mentally started going through party preparations. Nathan could see that Haley was already going overboard. He propped himself on his elbow facing her._

"_Hales, don't go all crazy just yet. I said I got in, but I never said I was actually going."_

_Haley stared at him with a look of disbelief on her face. "You're not serious, right? Nathan Royal Scott! How could you even consider not going? This is your dream, this is your future!" She practically shouted at him._

"_But Haley, High Flyers is a solid four months of being on the road, a different college and city every night. It's not like I'll be able to come home on weekends or anything. And it'd be really difficult for you to come see me. I don't know if I could handle being away from you that long…and I have finally caught up with school, I don't want to get behind again" Nathan lowered his eyes, not able to meet her intense gaze. He had wanted to say more, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. If she knew that he wasn't going to go because she had given up her own opportunity, there was no way she would let up. Nathan's eyes shifting did not go unnoticed by Haley, she knew him well enough to know that he was holding something back._

"_Well, this is a first; Nathan Scott using school as an excuse to not play ball. Look, I know there's something you're holding back. We need to talk about this. You need to let me in, Nathan," Haley said gently._

_Sighing, Nathan forced himself to meet her gaze. "Look Hales, I know that you gave up a lot when you turned down the tour to stay with me." Haley opened her mouth to protest, but Nathan held up his hand to stop her. "And I also know that when you made your sacrifice, I promised myself that if I ever had the chance to, I would prove to you that you that it wasn't for nothing. This is my chance, my chance to show you how much you mean to me." After a pause to take in what she had just heard, Haley leaned forward and pressed her lips to his._

"_Nathan, you don't have to prove to me how much you love me by sacrificing your dreams. When I chose not to go on the tour, yes, it was because I didn't want to be without you, but there's more to it. I realized that the music would mean nothing if you weren't there to share it with me. Music is not for me what basketball is for you. It wasn't my dream. You are. So, I want you to go. Play great. I promise that I will be right here when you get back. And maybe if we can get a copy of the schedule ahead of time, we can plan for a few stops that I can come see you. I know it's going to be hard, and I'm going to miss you like crazy, but-" She was interrupted by Nathan pulling her into a searing kiss that told her that everything was going to be okay. She deepened the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him as close to her body as possible. Without breaking from her lips, he lifted them both of the floor and carried her into the bedroom._

_End Flashback_

Had she known that that day would be the day that would inevitably change the course of their life, she doubted that she would have pushed as hard for him to go. Who was she kidding; she could never deny Nathan his dream, or anything else for that matter. She quickly tried to wipe away the tears that were flowing more rapidly now. She did not want Jamie to notice that anything was wrong but she was too late.

"Momma, what's wrong with you? Why are you crying?" Jamie asked with a frown on his face. He never liked to see his mother upset. He stood in front of Haley, in between her legs, as his small hand reached forward to wipe the tears away. "Are you thinking about Daddy again?" Her heart clenched at how perceptive Jamie was even at 6 years old. Haley had always been truthful with Jamie as to who his father was. She just hadn't been as forthcoming as to why exactly he wasn't there everyday.

"No, sweetheart. I'm not sad about Daddy" _Of course I am, aren't I always?_

"Then why are you crying?" Jamie pressed further.

"These are happy tears because you are such a special little man. My special little man," she exclaimed dramatically as she drew him closer for an eskimo kiss, which made Jamie giggle, lifting Haley's spirits.

Noticing that it was soon to be dark, Haley packed Jamie and their things up and headed to their home, a home without Nathan.

_Meanwhile in Tree Hill…_

Nathan sat and watched as the sun sank lower and lower into the horizon. Soon, he would be surrounded by darkness, but he didn't mind. He was used to being in the dark. Today would be darker than usual for him. From the outside looking in, Nathan was living the picture perfect life; high school phenom, recruited by Duke University; two NCAA Championship titles, and then drafted first all around to the Charlotte Bobcats right out of senior year. He had had a meteoric rise to fame as the hottest new thing to hit the NBA. He dominated on the court and was a fan favorite off the court, especially with the ladies. It was no secret that Nathan Scott definitely played as hard off the court as he did on, but what no one could see was that it was all to drown the sorrow that had left his heart empty for several years. He had everything any normal human being could want, but the one thing he wanted most in the world was lost.

Sitting on the picnic table at the docks he considered theirs, his thoughts were always of her, what she was doing at that precise moment, was she happy, did she find someone to be happy with. The last thought always made his gut twist with pain, he couldn't bear the thought of his Haley being in the arms of another man. Today, his thoughts went further as he wondered if she remembered that this was their anniversary. Did the memory of their wedding hurt her as much as it did him or was it just an afterthought to the new life she was leading. There were so many questions that were swirling through his head, and none of them had a very good answer. As was his ritual, just before the sun dropped into the night sky, he pulled two items from his pocket. Two items that never left his side, a pink plastic bracelet and a piece of paper. Two very different items that were symbols of two different things, love and loss. He unfolded the piece of paper to read its contents, although unnecessary as he had memorized every word long ago. Yet every night at sunset, wherever he was, he would read the letter hoping that maybe that time would lead to clue that would lead him to her.

_Dear Nathan,_

_This is undoubtedly the hardest thing that I have ever had to or will probably ever have to write in my entire life. These past months without you have been miserable, but I was always comforted by the fact that you were doing this for your future, our future, but that future is not meant to be. I have finally come to the realization that I am standing in the way of you realizing your dreams. Please know that I am nothing but proud of all you have accomplished so far, and you still have so much more to give. Whenever I watch you out on the court, it's like you were born to be there. The court is where you belong, and I have no right to stand in the way of that. I have decided to leave Tree Hill for good. By the time you get this, I won't be here. This place holds too many memories for me to be able to truly move on. Know that I love you with all of my soul and will always and forever have you in my heart. Please do not try to find me, it is the best for the both of us. I love you._

_Always and Forever,_

_Haley_

When he had returned from High Flyers, he had returned to an empty apartment and this letter with her cracker jack bracelet laying next to it along with signed divorce papers. He had sensed that something had been bothering Haley when he had spoken with her for the last time before his return home, but he was definitely not expecting her to leave him like this. He was completely dumbfounded that she had thought of herself as an obstacle. If anything, she was the key. In the following years, he tried everything he could think of to find her including hiring private investigators, but Haley knew how to cover her tracks, and if she didn't want to be found, she made damn sure that she wasn't going to be. During the season which usually meant several different cities in several nights, he would hold out hope that maybe that the next person to cross his path would be her. Every sight of wavy honey blonde hair or a passing scent of strawberries would drive him wild until disappointment once again set in. When the darkness had settled in, Nathan carefully folded the letter and put it and the bracelet back in his pocket and started for his home in Tree Hill, his home without Haley.

As he started to leave, he noticed a figure approaching. He knew the tall, lanky figure anywhere, Lucas, a constant reminder that Haley was no longer in his life. It was because of Haley that the two men had gotten past the mistakes of their parents and become true brothers.

"Hey little brother, thought I might find you out here," the tall blonde said as he held his hand out for a quick shake. Nathan reciprocated and they both sat down on top of the picnic table that held so many memories for both men.

Nathan smirked, "Lucas, you know very well I'm out here every night that I'm in Tree Hill. Why would tonight be any different?"

Lucas didn't have an answer for him. For a few minutes they both sat in complete silence just looking out at the moon shining over the river.

"So are you just going to sit there or are you going to tell me why you're really here? I know it's not because you missed seeing me. Is everything okay with Lindsey? Don't tell me she finally wised up and kicked your scrawny ass out" Nathan asked staring out at the water.

"Naw, nothing like that. And she happens to like scrawny asses, especially _my_ scrawny ass. Look, I know what today is. I just wanted to make sure that you were doing okay with everything."

"It's just not getting any easier, man. Everyone tells me that I need to move on, that she probably has, so I should too. But I can't move on when I don't know what I'm moving on from. Does that even make any sense? I'm just so in the dark about everything. She just up and disappeared, and I don't know _why_. And I want to be angry with her, but I can't because I know that she would never leave without having a good reason. So whatever spooked her, it had to be something big. I've been playing and replaying those last 4 months in my head second by second and there is nothing. Nothing! So, the only conclusion that I can come to is that it was someone or something here that got inside her head. I just need to know," Nathan's voice was ragged with desperation.

Lucas's silence and inability to meet his brother's eyes did not go unnoticed by Nathan. Nathan liked to think that he had come to know his older brother pretty well, so he knew the lack of response on Lucas's part meant that he was holding something back.

"Luke, say something! I just poured my soul out and you've got nothing? And you call yourself a writer?" he teased trying anything to get a response from Lucas.

_Flashback.._

"_Hales?" Lucas whispered to the small figure curled up in his bed. He slowly made his way to his bed when he saw a slight nod of her head. He sat down on the edge in front of her taking notice that her breaths were coming in short hiccups and her face was tear-stained. "Haley, you've got to help me out here. What are you doing here? I thought you went to Chapel Hill to see Nathan."_

"_I-I w-was t-there," she managed to get out between sobs. Sensing that she wasn't quite ready to talk, Lucas pulled her into his lap, cradling her and rocking her, rubbing his hand soothingly up and down her back as if to calm a hysterical child. When her breathing had finally calmed down, she was able to fill him in on what had exactly happened._

"_I was at the game. After it was over, I made sure to stay out of sight, so I could surprise him, and I waited by the door. Everyone had come out, even the coaches, so I started wondering why he was taking so long so I snuck in. But instead of me surprising Nathan, it was me who got the surprise. Apparently someone else had the same idea as me. When I got to the showers, Nathan had some girl wrapped around him like a pretzel and they were kissing," Haley said bitterly, her gut twisting at the memory. Lucas couldn't believe what he was hearing. How could Nathan do that to Haley?! His blood started to boil, and he practically threw Haley off the bed as his gut told him to give Nathan the beating of a lifetime, even if he was in Chapel Hill._

"_I'm going to kill him. Then I'm going to kill him again. He can't get away with doing that to you Hales. I won't let him, "Lucas said through clenched teeth. Haley, forgetting her own emotional state, knew that Lucas beating the crap out of Nathan would do no good. _

"_You'll do no such thing," she commanded softly as she put her hand on his arm. He looked at her incredulously. _

"_Haley, you can't be serious! You can't let him get away with this!" Lucas half-shouted realizing that he didn't want to wake the rest of the household. He looked into her brown eyes and what he saw was a swirl of emotions, sadness, pain, anger, confusion, and determination. It was the determination that scared him the most; she was planning to do something. Haley was extremely stubborn and once she had set her mind to something there was no letting go. "What are you going to do?" He half whispered scared to death of what her response would be. _

"_I'm going to leave. Nathan has some things to wrap up with High Flyers, so he won't be home for another few days. That should give me enough time to get everything sorted. I don't plan on being here when he gets back. I don't think I could handle looking him in the face," Haley replied matter-of-factly._

"_So you're just going to run away? That isn't like you Hales. You should at least confront him and tell him what you saw. Give him a chance to explain himself.." Lucas trailed off. He knew that he had gone too far with his last sentence, but he was grasping at straws, an angry Haley was better than no Haley._

_Haley's eyes were flashing. "No, Lucas. He doesn't deserve the right to give me an explanation. I know what I saw. He lost his right to explain himself when he broke our vows," she bit out angrily. _

_Lucas sighed. At this point, stubborn Haley had kicked in and there was no arguing with her._

"_Where will you go?" he asked._

"_I don't know yet. Honestly, I haven't figured out much other than I'm leaving. As soon as I know you'll be the first to know. I promise. You have to promise me one thing though."_

"_Anything, Hales."_

"_You can't tell anybody where I am. And you have to be there for Nathan. He's going to need your support."_

"_Hales, you can't be serious? How can I support him when I want to kill him?" Lucas said in disbelief._

"_Luke, whatever Nathan and I are or aren't or whatever we're going through, it doesn't change the fact that you are brothers. And brothers should stick together," Haley said gently as she pulled Lucas into a hug. _

"_You're my family too, Haley. You know that." Lucas stated emphatically._

"_Oh Luke, I know that. But Nathan is going to need someone to depend on, and I can't be that someone for him anymore. So you're up."_

"_But who's going to be there for you?" he asked worriedly._

"_Don't worry about me, Luke. I'll be just fine. You'll see," Haley said as confidently as she could muster, but Lucas saw right through it, but decided to let it go for now. "Look, it's late. Let's just get some sleep." He nodded and as soon as their heads hit the bed, they were asleep. _

Lucas didn't know how to respond to his little brother that was in so much pain over this thing with Haley. He knew that the next words out of his mouth were going to get him an angry Nathan. But at this point, he didn't care. When he first found out, he had wanted to tear Nathan limb from limb, but Haley had made him promise to be there for his brother. So, for Haley, he had buried all his anger and concentrated on being there for his brother, even though he didn't deserve it. He was opening up a Pandora's Box but it was time for the charade to stop. Besides, he tried to convince himself, it's not like he would be giving everything away.

Lucas let out a huge sigh, "Okay look, what I'm about to say to you. I know at the end you're going to be pissed off, but just know that I made a promise and it wasn't my place to say anything. Hell, it still isn't bu-" Lucas rambled.

Nathan smirked at Lucas's rambling, but at the same felt a slight twinge in his heart as the rambling reminded him yet again of Haley. He braced himself for another speech about letting Haley go and moving on with his life. He had no idea that what was about to come out of Lucas's mouth would change everything.

"Luke, c'mon, just spit it out. You're rambling like Haley."

"IknowhyHaleyleft," he spat out as quickly as he could, praying to the high heavens that he wouldn't have to repeat himself. He wasn't quite that lucky.

"Come again?"

Lucas let out a huge sigh, "I know why Haley left." It was done and out in the open. Before a bewildered Nathan could even have time to process Lucas's words, let alone respond, Lucas continued, "The night you played your final game at Chapel Hill for High Flyers, Haley went up to surprise you. She said something about having two surprises for you. But I guess the surprise was on her. She saw you in the shower making out with another woman. So naturally, she freaked and came back here and decided to leave," Lucas finished hoping that the shock of this piece of news would keep Nathan from asking more questions he wasn't quite ready to answer.

Nathan just stared at Lucas. He couldn't believe the words he was hearing come out of his brother's mouth. He had known all this time?! Nathan's normally dark eyes got even darker as the reality of Lucas's words finally sank in. He pulled his arm back and threw a right hook straight into Lucas's jaw. Lucas was sent sprawling to the ground. He was ready for whatever Nathan had to dish out. He may have been able to support his brother, but he was still dealing with his own unresolved anger at what Nathan had done to Haley that night.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU FREAKIN' KNEW THIS WHOLE TIME AND YOU DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING! I HAVE BEEN GOING OUT OF MY MIND FOR THE PAST 6 YEARS! HOW COULD YOU HAVE NOT SAID ANYTHING?! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE MY BROTHER!" Nathan shouted with all of his might. He turned his back to Lucas, he couldn't stand the sight of him at this moment. Lucas picked himself up off of the ground, his eyes raging just as intensely as the other Scott's.

"HOW COULD _I_? HOW COULD _YOU_? HALEY WAS THE BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO YOU AND YOU THREW HER AWAY FOR SOME GROUPIE TRASH!!" Lucas shouted back equally as forceful. Nathan's head whipped around, what the hell was he talking about? What groupie? Lucas let his initial rage subside before continuing. "You didn't see her broken Nate, I did! Her whole world came crashing down around her. You're not the only one suffering, you know. I lost my best friend that night too! And the worst part of it all, as much as you hurt her, she still cared enough to make sure that someone…me…would be here to support you. I was so angry with you. I didn't know how I was going to be able to look you in the face. But I've seen your pain, and I know that you're hurting just as much as she was..is..whatever. I begged her that night to wait for you to come home and explain yourself, but you know how stubborn she is. So, even though it's been six years, it's time to get everything out on the table. I'm giving you your chance to give your side of things." Lucas's rambling was all over the place. Six years worth of pent up frustration, hurt, anger, and loss had come pouring out in a matter of seconds. Everything was happening so fast. Nathan was still trying to understand the whole groupie thing. And then his face went ashen. Carrie.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

**I don't own anything except the storyline.**

_Flashback.._

_Haley was sitting on the couch studying the High Flyers paperwork that Nathan had received once he had accepted his offer. She was so excited for him that she probably knew more about the camp than he did by now having studied the material several times over. _

"_Babe, I don't think any of the information has changed since the last time you read that," Nathan teased as he sat on the couch and pulled her feet into his lap._

"_I know. I just want to make sure that you have everything that you need. There's a lot of paperwork to get through and not a lot of time to get it submitted. Hmm, this is interesting. You have to sign a Code of Conduct clause. 'No member of the High Flyers basketball shall engage in any fraternization with the High Flyers cheerleading squad.' Hmm. High Flyers cheerleading squad?" Haley looked up with her eyebrow raised and then giggled at the deer caught in headlights look that was currently taking over Nathan's face._

"_Uh, yeah..about that..look," Nathan stammered as he tried to find the right words to explain to his wife that a cheerleading squad would be traveling with the team for the entire duration of the program. However, Haley's laughter broke the tension and relief flooded over him._

"_Nathan, I probably knew about the cheerleading program before you did. I read about them when I looked up the application process on the web for you. Apparently, the High Flyer cheerleading program works just like the basketball program. It's the elite of the elite and good way for colleges to recruit. And I also saw that the only interaction between the two groups is that they will be cheering at your games. Everything else is separate, hotels, practice facilities, transportation, everything. Not that I was or would be worried or anything. I know I can trust you."_

_End Flashback_

Carrie. He hadn't wasted a second thought on her ever since she pulled that little stunt in the locker room shower after the game against the Tar Heels. How could have he been so stupid? The answer was staring him the face this whole time. By the look on Nathan's face, Lucas knew that Haley had not been wrong that night. Nathan had betrayed her. A fresh wave of anger washed over him as he readied his fist for a round with Nathan's face. Nathan noticed Lucas's clenched fist and quickly spoke.

"Look, Luke, man. It's not how it sounds," Nathan began to explain.

"Oh, really. It sounds like you couldn't keep it in your pants. It sounds like you-" Lucas bit out angrily as Nathan interrupted him.

"It wasn't like that! Look, there was this girl who was on the High Flyers cheerleading squad. I had no idea who any of the cheerleaders were since both teams were separated. The only time we saw the cheerleaders was at the game, and obviously, nothing was ever going to happen there. But one girl, Carrie, she tried to talk to me after every game and started flirting with me. I always ignored it. I even told her I was married for crying out loud! The game in Chapel Hill, after the game ended, I went straight back to the locker room trying to avoid Carrie from coming up to me. When I got there, coach said that he wanted to talk to me. We talked for a long time. By the time we were finished, everyone had finished showering and was heading for the bus. So I was the only one in the shower. Next thing I know, Carrie's arms are around my neck and she's kissing me," Nathan explained with utter desperation in his voice.

_Flashback_

_Nathan stood under the hot water soaking in the soothing sprays that provided relief to his aching body. He could have stayed there for a couple of hours, but he knew that the rest of the team was waiting on him, so he had to be quick. The game against the Tar Heels had been rough. Hell, he thought, the past 4 months had been rough; different college every week that included a grueling practice and game schedule. For four months, he breathed, ate, slept, and thought of nothing but basketball, save for one thing: Haley. She was his inspiration. If it weren't for her, he would have never survived. He thought back to the day when they had found out that he had been accepted. She had told that he didn't need her in order to play ball like she needed him for her music, but she had been wrong. Ever since he realized that he was in love with her, his game had been tied to her. On the rare occasion that they had not been getting along, his game definitely was not at its peak. He knew it was dangerous to let his game be affected like that, but he didn't care. She was his life, pure and simple. His mind wandered back again to his wife, not that it had really left. In a few short days, they would be together again. He would sweep her off her feet and take care of some much-needed business. He imagined the quick frenzied kisses that he would give her just from missing her so, but they would soon turn heated, as his tongue would move across her lips begging for entrance. He would stay there just reminding himself of her taste until he broke to move to kiss her on her neck where he knew her weak spot was. Slowly, he would make his way down her body with light feathery kisses as his hands would roam her body until they found their way to her breasts already free from the confines of her bra. A slamming door broke him out of his fantasy. Shit, he thought, probably coach coming in to tell me to hurry my ass up. Immediately turning his shower to freezing cold, he would need a few seconds to alleviate the heat that had built up in his body and to get rid of the obvious evidence of that heat._

"_Yeah, yeah coach, 30 more seconds, I'll be right out," Nathan called, not wanting coach to come in and see him in his current state. When he didn't hear a response, he called out again. Just then, a pair of slender arms snaked around him and encircled his chest. He felt a soft cheek pressing into his back. He gasped and twirled around in the strange girl's embrace and came face to face with the cheerleader who had tried to flirt with him after games. Knowing very well that Carrie was naked, Nathan kept his eyes focused on the wall above them._

"_Well, well. I knew you'd be happy to see me, but I never thought you'd be _this _happy. I'm quite impressed Mr. Scott," She teased trying to draw herself closer into his chest._

"_Look, Katie, you-" Nathan began. _

"_It's Carrie," the brunette bit out._

"_I'm sorry. Carrie, you can't be in here. I'm not sure what you thought was gonna happen, but it's not going to. I love my wife too much to do that to her," Nathan told her. _

"_It's not true! You want me! Ever since the first time we talked on the court, you've flirted with me!" Carrie exclaimed, her voice pitching higher to match the hysterics in her eyes._

"_Look, I'm sorry if you thought that I was into you. But I'm not. So, please, just go get dressed, and we'll pretend-" Before he could finish his thought, Carrie pressed herself into his body and pressed her lips into his. Nathan was caught off guard and it took him a few moments for the reality of what was happening to sink in. Once it did, he tried to pull away, but she held him in her embrace and tried to deepen the kiss. Using a little more force, he used his arms to push her away. He had tried to let her down easy, but now he was pissed. Anyone from the team could have walked in and seen them together, and that was not a situation that he wanted to deal with. "CARRIE! You have to stop this right now! I. Am. Not. Interested. Get that through your head and leave me the hell alone!" Nathan shouted at her. She opened her mouth to respond, but he had enough. He grabbed his towel and stormed out to get dressed elsewhere. After Nathan's departure, Carrie stood there dumbfounded. She couldn't believe what had just happened. Nobody turned her down! Her eyes narrowed as she thought to herself, one day, she would have Nathan Scott for herself. _

"…and since that was the last game and everyone was heading home, I never had to see her again," Nathan finished. Lucas looked intensely at Nathan's face for a few moments and saw in his eyes that he was telling the truth. Lucas was heartbroken. The past six years all boiled down to a misunderstanding. This was not good. Why did Haley have to be so stubborn?!

"Luke, say something!" Nathan pleaded.

"Nate, this all has just been a horrible misunderstanding. When Haley said she was leaving, I tried to get her to talk to you, get your side of things. She wouldn't listen, of course! Stubborn! If she hadn't been so damned stubborn, all this crap would have been avoided, you guys would be together, and Jamie…," Lucas froze he had not meant to say Jamie's name. He snuck a glance over at Nathan hoping that he was too lost in his own thoughts to have heard what he said. Nate was looking down at the ground with his head in his hands. He was thinking practically the same things that Lucas was saying. Six years of heartache had boiled down to mere seconds. When he did not respond to Lucas, Lucas knew he was safe from having to explain more than he wanted, more than he was ready to.

"Look, Nate. This was a lot of information to deal with. So, why don't we just head home and we'll talk more in the morning when we've both gotten some rest," Lucas suggested.

"Yeah, you're right. We'll talk in the morning," Nathan reluctantly agreed. With a brotherly hug and pats on the back, each brother headed off into the night towards their respective houses. Each fearful of what the morning would hold when the reality of what had just happened set in for good.

When Lucas entered his house, he pulled out his phone and pressed his quick dial for the one person he desperately needed to talk to. He knew it was late, but it was not something he could delay.

"If you are not bleeding in the hospital or dead, I'm going to kick your ass," Haley mumbled sleepily.

"Hales, we need to talk. Something's happened," Lucas told her. Haley sat bolt up right in her bed. She was definitely awake now as a multitude of scenarios played through her head as to what possibly could have happened.

"Oh my god! What happened? What's wrong? Who's hurt? Nathan? Brooke? Peyton? Oh my god! Karen? Keith? Lily? Deb? Lucas answer me!" Haley was starting to panic; she was never one to handle crisis situations well. That was Nathan's department.

"HALEY! If you'll calm the hell down, I can explain. I'm sorry for scaring you. It's about Nathan. No, he's not hurt, well not physically, anyways, "Lucas answered answering her questions before she could ask them.

"Jesus, Luke. Way to scare the crap out of me. Okay. What is going on with Nathan," Haley asked breathing a huge sigh of relief, but that relief would not last long.

"Okay, promise me that you won't get mad first."

"Luke, for god's sakes, it's almost 1 am, just spit it out!" She said getting exasperated.

"No, you have to promise first," Lucas insisted.

Haley let out a sigh of defeat, "Fine, I promise." But as she said that, she childishly crossed her fingers behind her back. Haley knew that she was already going to be mad. He always made her promise not to get mad before he spilled bad news.

"You also have to promise to let me get everything out. No interruptions," he added.

"Fine, fine, fine. No interruptions." She still had her fingers crossed. This must be really bad.

Lucas took a huge breath. "Okay, I'm guessing I don't have to remind you what today is…was…whatever. So, of course Nathan spent most of the evening down at the docks. I went down there to check on him and he just looked so broken Haley."

"Yeah, well, whose fault is that?" Haley spat out bitterly.

"You said you weren't going to interrupt?"

"Fine, fine, I'm sorry, please continue."

"So, I'm listening to him just ramble on and on about why he still doesn't understand why you left, how he misses you, and how he was going crazy trying to figure everything out. And I just couldn't take it anymore. I mean he's been this way for awhile, but today it just seemed so much worse. He's my brother, Hales, and you asked me to look out for him, support him and I thought I was doing that until I saw how bad he really is. So, _Itoldhimthatthereasonyouleftwasbecauseyousawhimintheshowerkissinganotherwoman,_" Lucas once again hoped that he would not have to repeat that last part. He never was a lucky guy.

"You want to run that last part by me one more time?" Haley had definitely heard what Lucas had said, but she wanted him to repeat it just to make sure that she wasn't hallucinating.

"I told him that the reason you left was because you saw him in the shower kissing another woman," Lucas replied cringing on his side of the phone, he knew the fallout was not going to be pretty.

"Ha! I must be on something because I thought I heard you say that you told Nathan why I left," Haley let out sarcastically.

"Look, Hales-" Lucas started, but she cut him off.

"What do you mean by you had to tell him why I left? He should know damn well why I left. That cocky, arrogant, son of a-" Haley's anger growing to dangerous levels.

"Haley! First, you promised you wouldn't get mad! And second, he honestly didn't know! He explained the whole story, and I know it was the truth. There is more to the story than you think. You should have given him a chance to explain himself, Hales," he practically begged her.

"Well I lied, had my fingers crossed behind my back. And why would I have done that? Only for him to tell me there was nothing going on? I was there Lucas! I saw with my own two eyes! They were both in the shower! Naked and kissing!" She retorted.

Now it was Lucas's turn to get angry. Haley's stubbornness had cost them six years, he was going to be damned if it cost them any more. Their lives and Tree Hill were not complete without her.

"Haley, for God's sakes. For once in your life, stop being so damned stubborn and listen to reason! How long are you going to keep doing this? Running away? How long are you going to keep Jamie from his father?! It's been six years. Nathan deserves to know he has a son!"

"No! I have finally come to terms with what happened. That ship has sailed. I am done, finished, finito." She purposefully had not responded to Lucas's comments about Nathan and Jamie. It was too late to open that can of worms when all that would result is more arguing. "Luke, it's late, and from what I can tell, you've had a pretty emotional night. Go get some rest, we'll talk more, I promise. I'll have Jamie call in the morning." With that they both hung up the phone.

_______________________________________________________________________

Clothes over Bro's Executive Office (The Wednesday before)

Brooke Davis was lost in thought reviewing sketches for the Baby Brooke line when the ringing of her cell phone broke her concentration. She grabbed the phone distractedly and barked out an impatient hello.

"Well gee, I love you too Brooke Davis!" laughed the familiar voice on the other end.

"! I'm sorry, I was just in the middle of reviewing some sketches. I know you could never resist my hot bod! What can I do for ya?" Brooke asked in her usual cheerfulness.

"I've got a proposition for you. How would you like to take a road trip? You know you could never resist a good road trip!" Peyton teased.

"Road trip?! I am so in! Give me the details!" Brooke commanded, excitement filling her voice.

"Ok, well it's really for the label. Some nightclub sent me a recording of one of their regular performers, and I thought I'd go check it out. It's in Virginia Beach. So I figured we'd make a little vacation out of it. I haven't seen you in ages," Peyton explained.

"Peyt, that is such a great idea. Things are starting to calm down after the launch of the new line, so I could definitely use a few days off. When do we leave?"

"Soon. Book a flight to Tree Hill for Friday, and we'll head out early Saturday. The singer we're going to see goes on Saturday night."

"Sounds good! Ooh I'm so excited, nothing like a good road trip for some good girl time bonding! Now I know why I keep you around P. Sawyer. Oh my god there's so much to do! There's no way I can be ready by Friday when it's already Wednesday! How could you do this to me P. Sawyer," Brooke exclaimed frantically.

"Haha, I'm sure you'll be okay Brooke. Okay, just let me know when I need to pick you up on Friday," Peyton reassured her friend.

After a few more words, both women hung up. Peyton looked down at the demo that was sitting on her desk labeled Gwen Scott.

_Flashback…_

_Peyton had been sorting through the day's mail when she came to a large manila envelope at the bottom of the pile. The return label showed that it had come from Jimmy's Place in Virginia Beach. She opened the package and a cd simply labeled Gwen Scott and a business card fell out. She put the cd into her player and music filled the silence. Hmm, not a bad intro, wait, this song is very familiar. And then she heard the voice._

"_I never promised you a ray of light, I never promised there'd be sunshine everyday" _

_Peyton shut the music off. Holy shit! That's Haley's song! Nevermind the song, that's Haley! What the hell is she doing singing in Virginia? And why the hell is she going by the name Gwen Scott? Remembering the business card that had fallen out with the cd, she snatched it up and dialed the listed number with shaking hands. _

"_Jimmy's Place, Jimmy speaking, how can I help you?" A gruff voice answered._

"_Hi yes, this is Peyton Sawyer from Red Bedroom Records. I believe someone sent in a demo recording for Gwen Scott. I've listened, and I'm very interested," Peyton replied as professionally as possible._

"_Ah yes, seems our little Gwennie is quite the song bird. She sings for us every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. The customers just love her. She mentioned awhile back that she had an acquaintance that started a label called Red Bedroom. Well, you're the only Red Bedroom that I could find, so I thought I'd send it on over to see what happens. That girl is better than what's she got here."_

"_Well, Jimmy, it is customary for me to see potential artists live before signing, when is her next performance?" Peyton asked._

"_Well she did say she couldn't make it Thursday or Friday, family thing going on with her little boy." Holy shit, Peyton almost dropped the phone. Haley has a kid?! "But she'll be on Saturday at 9," he told her. _

"_Saturday is perfect. It will give me a chance to tie up some loose ends here and make my way up there."_

"_Sounds good, Ms. Sawyer. I'm sure Gwen will be glad to know that an old friend will be dropping by to see her with some possible good news."_

"_Wait, Jimmy! If you wouldn't mind keeping this our little secret, I would really appreciate it. Artists tend not to perform at their best when they know a scout is watching. I want to surprise Ha-er Gwen," Peyton said wincing, even that sounded lame to her own ears._

_Jimmy chuckled, "Of course Ms. Sawyer. Our little secret. See you Saturday."_

_End Flashback_

After she had made the arrangements with Jimmy, Peyton sat in her office staring at the labeled cd for several minutes, twirling the case between her fingers. She opened one of her desk drawers, reached into the back and pulled out a folder that held a single sheet of paper.

_Dear Peyt, _

_By the time you get this letter, I will be gone from Tree Hill. I know that you can probably guess that it has something to do with Nathan, and you would be right, but I just can't go into details right now, but please know that my decision to leave is solely on me. I know you are going to be angry with me, and for that I am so sorry. I never meant to hurt anyone. This place and all of you hold too many memories for me; I would never be able to move on with constant reminders of him. I don't know when or if I'll ever be back, so I wanted you to know how much I love you and how much I've appreciated our friendship. You are truly one of my best friends, and I will never forget you. _

_I need to ask a favor, and I can already hear you, she's the one that left, and she wants me to do her a favor. And the answer is yes, this is very important. You need to be there for Nathan, Lucas, and Brooke. You were always the strong one, Peyt, even though you didn't feel it. You need to be strong for them. _

_Be well Peyton, I love you with all my heart,_

_Haley_

Haley had been right in that she had been extremely angry in the first few months after she had left. In time, Peyton had realized that Haley had been right. She knew that everything that Haley had written was the truth. She knew that if Haley needed to move on from Nathan Scott, for whatever reason, there was no way it was going to happen in Tree Hill. She tried her best to be strong for everyone, but it had been hard. The truth was that it was Haley that bonded them together. If it hadn't been for Haley, who knows what different paths each of their lives might have taken.

Everyone always avoided the topic of Haley altogether. Lucas always changed the subject, Nathan flat out refused to talk about her, and Brooke was too busy launching her Clothes over Bro's to be bothered. In time, everyone learned it was best just not to bring her up. An ambush was probably not the best way to greet Haley after six years, so she picked up the phone and called Brooke. As surprising as her decision to call Brooke was even to herself, realistically, Brooke was the only person that would be able to keep her wits about her. Nathan and Lucas would surely just fly off the handle and act irrationally. Although, she felt badly that she hadn't been able to tell Brooke the full extent of their trip right then, but the truth was that Brooke could barely hold water. If she knew they were potentially going to see Haley the entire North American continent would have known by the top of the hour. She would tell her during the car ride and hope to hell that she would survive Brooke's reaction.

________________________________________________________________________

Virginia Beach (Saturday)

Haley stumbled down the stairs to the kitchen. She had gotten virtually no sleep, and felt horrible. Jamie was sitting at the counter talking with his Aunt Taylor, who was visiting for a few days before her pregnancy restricted traveling. When Jamie saw his mother come into the kitchen, he hopped off the barstool and jumped into Haley's arms.

"Good morning Momma! Is it time? Is it time?" Jamie could hardly contain his excitement. He always looked forward to his Saturday morning phone call with his Uncle Lucas. Haley glanced at the clock, 8:30am. She knew full well that Lucas would still be asleep, but she didn't care, after the hell he put her through, he deserved it.

"It sure is Jimmy Jam, why don't you go grab Momma's phone, and we'll call together," Haley said smiling wickedly as she set Jamie down and he went scampering off.

"You are evil Haley James Scott or should I say Gwen Scott?" Taylor asked with a raised eyebrow as she handed Haley a steaming cup of coffee. Haley glared at Taylor; she did not want to have this conversation with Jamie within earshot.

"Good morning to you to Tay. Gee, I didn't know that this is your house we're staying in. How kind of you to let Jamie and I crash," Haley retorted.

Before Taylor could offer a response, Jamie returned with the phone in his hand. He held it out to Haley so she could dial, but she pushed it back towards his little body.

"You know how to dial Uncle Lucas, just press #2 until it starts ringing," She encouraged. The little blonde hair, blue-eyed boy did as he was instructed and held the phone to his ear waiting for his beloved Uncle Lucas to answer.

"If you are not bleeding or dead, I am going to kick your ass," came a groggy, sleep filled voice mimicking Haley's sentiments from when he called previously. Jamie's eyes widened at Lucas's use of the word "ass".

"Momma says you shouldn't say ass Uncle Lucas. It's not a nice word," Jamie chided. Lucas's eyes flew open as the voice registered in his brain.

"Shit! Jamie! Damn, I just said shit. Jamie, hang on a second, buddy," Lucas stumbled as he tried to slip out of bed without disturbing Lindsay who was still blissfully asleep. Once he was safely outside the bedroom, he made his way towards the kitchen. "Does your mother know you're on the phone?" he asked desperately trying to change the subject.

"Of course Uncle Lucas, she was the one that said it was time to call you!" Jamie said giggling. It was funny hearing Uncle Lucas say naughty words. Of course, she said it was time, Lucas thought to himself. After he had caught up with Jamie on the week's events, he told the little boy to put his mother on the phone. Haley could hardly contain her laughter at Lucas cursing on the phone and Jamie reprimanding him.

"Nice, Hales. Real nice."

"Consider this payback for waking me up last night. And, I'm not the one teaching my son curse words," She choked out between laughs.

"Oh yeah? How do you think he knew they were naughty words in the first place," he countered.

"That was not my fault and you know it! How was I supposed to know that he was standing right behind me when we were talking?" Haley whined laughing remembering the conversation where she had let a string of curse words fly only to hear the shuffle of Jamie's small feet behind her indicating that he had head everything that had come out of her mouth. Lucas had died laughing as he heard Haley trying to explain to Jamie that he was in no way to ever repeat the words he had just heard. As mild mannered as Haley seemed, the girl could curse so creatively that even a drunken sailor would be envious.

Lucas also grinned at the memory of the same conversation, but grew quiet. The reality of last night had come crashing back, and he knew there was no avoiding it. No matter how hard Haley tried to.

"Alright, Luke, let's get this over with. We can't ignore the pink elephant that's squashing this conversation," Haley sighed with defeat. She walked out onto her back deck to get away from prying ears.

Lucas chuckled, "Pink elephant? Only you, Hales. Have you thought about what I said last night?"

"It's all I was able to think about. I didn't get much sleep. Look, if all he knows is why I left, there's really no need to do anything is there? Too much time has passed to really go back to all that. We go through this every year, Luke. You see Nathan all miserable and you call me and we go round and round. I'm not going to change my mind. The only difference this year is now Nathan is aware that I know he was unfaithful," Haley concluded. The mental image of that night still haunted her mind, and the ache in her heart that resulted from the thought were still strong as ever.

"Haaallleeess," Lucas whined. Haley knew where he was headed, and she beat him to it.

"Luke, I know that it's not easy for you to keep my secrets from Nathan and you have no idea of how grateful I am for that. But for right now, I think it's best that things stay the way they are. Maybe one day, I'll be able to face the past and Nathan, but not yet," Haley said with conviction.

"What about Jamie? Doesn't he deserve to know his father?" Lucas broached this subject very carefully. If Nathan was a sore subject for Haley, then the subject of Nathan plus Jamie might have been labeled with a huge No Trespassing sign. He had been lucky that she not gotten any angrier when he had brought the subject up last night.

"He does know his father, Luke. I haven't kept him a secret from Jamie," Haley pointed out weakly knowing full well that Lucas was not going to accept her reasoning.

"Haley, you know that's crap. He may know who is father _is_, but he most definitely does not _know_ his father. You can't keep up the whole "daddy's busy working" story his whole life. You are playing with fire here Hales; do you know how much Jamie is going to resent you when he finds out that you kept him from his father? The truth always has a way of coming out," Lucas's voice was filled with emotion as he thought of his own lack of relationship with his father due to the years of deception on the part of both his father and mother. How ironic his words were, especially after last night's events. Haley knew he was right; she couldn't keep Jamie away from Nathan too much longer. As it stood, too much time had passed already; Nathan was going to be hell unleashed when she finally broke the news to him. And if she waited too much longer, Jamie would soon come to resent her as well. She was talking to living proof of that.

"Okay, you win. I will _think_ about it. But you have to let me do it on my own time and in my own way," she relented.

Lucas breathed a sigh of relief, "That's all I'm asking for."

"I'm serious, Lucas. IF I do this, you have to let me do this on my own. I'm not so naïve to think that I can one, just waltz back into Nathan's life like nothing happened and two to come back with an, oh yeah by the way, here's the son that I've been keeping from you for the past six years. You know his temper. And what about you? Think about what is going to happen when he finds out that you knew everything this whole time? As you said, the truth will always come out. I'd hate to think of your relationship ruined because of me." Haley's mind was spinning at all the scenarios that were playing out in her head and they all had the same result: an incredibly angry Nathan Scott. How ironic, she was the one that brought them together, and now she could very well be the one to tear them apart she thought to herself. Wait, she thought again, when did I become so concerned about Nathan getting angry? He lost his right to any consideration when he decided to play naked tonsil hockey with someone else.

"Hales, don't worry about me. I made my decision when I told you I would help keep your secret. If it means having Jamie and Nathan together, then nothing else matters," Lucas said stoically, although he too, like Haley, was fearful of how his relationship would be impacted when the truth had finally come out.

"Luke, you are the best friend, uncle, and everything else anyone could ever ask for," Haley said on the verge of tears. She had never meant to put her friend in such a horrible position.

"And don't you forget it," he joked, trying to lighten the conversation; he couldn't bear a crying Haley.

"How could I with you reminding me every chance you get? Oh, crap, Luke, I've got to run. Tay and I promised that we would take Jamie to the park today," Haley remembered as Jamie started tapping on the window to get her attention.

"Hurrican Taylor's in town? Ouch. Good luck with that. Just promise that you will seriously think about it. And no fingers crossed behind your back."

"Yeah, no kidding. I promise to seriously think about it. No fingers crossed," Haley said sincerely. After saying good-bye to Lucas, she set off to the park with Taylor and Jamie; her mind focused on the one thing that had occupied it in some way or form for the past 6 years.

As soon as he had hung up the phone with Haley, Lucas felt a wave of relief wash over him. He couldn't believe that this time he had actually gotten through to her and gotten her to agree to just think about letting Nathan into Jamie's life. No sooner had the feeling of calmness come, it was gone and dread in its place. Six years' worth of secrets and lies were about to come spilling out and the repercussions were not going to be good.

Just then his phone beeped indicating that a new text message had been received. It was a message from Nathan asking him to meet him at the Rivercourt in 15 minutes. Lucas sighed as he snapped the phone shut. It wasn't even 10 in the morning and he was completely drained. He didn't know if he had it in him to go for round two with Nathan. This time he knew that Nathan's line of questioning was not going to be as easy to dodge as last night. Last night, he'd had the element of shock on his side. Might as well get this over with, he thought to himself as he changed into some workout clothes, the longer I put him off, the more persistent he's going to get. He left a note for a still sleeping Lindsay letting her know that he was with Nathan.

When he arrived to the court, Nathan was dribbling the ball furiously up and down the court deep in concentration. He approached the goal post, Nathan so deep in concentration, did not notice Lucas.

"Hey, Nate. Got your message, what did you need?" Lucas called out to get Nathan's attention. Nathan broke out of his fierce concentration and greeted Lucas with a tight smile.

"Well big brother, I've been doing some thinking," Nathan began as he continued to dribble and shoot the ball. Lucas opened his mouth to make a wisecrack, but Nathan's glare made him think otherwise. "After you left, I couldn't get what you said out of my head. And it got me thinking that if you knew that bit of information, there might be more that you know that you've been keeping from me. So, I've decided that whatever else you know, you're going to tell me, and you're going to tell me right now," Nathan commanded as he threw the ball into the hoop with a swish, not even looking at Lucas.

Lucas was about to panic. There was absolutely no way that he could tell Nathan any more than he already had. He had to think fast.

"Nate, I know that you really want to believe that I have all the answers, but I really don't. I only know what I told you last night because Haley came to me when she got back from Chapel Hill. She just needed a friend to talk to, she told me what happened, and I made her stay the night at my house for the night. I didn't want her to be alone in the condition she was in, and when I went to check on her in the morning, she was gone. Next thing I know, I'm reading a good-bye letter," Lucas threw out a line of bull praying to the heavens that Nathan bought it; well at least part of it was the truth.

"And you haven't heard from her since that night?" Nathan questioned suspiciously, stopping his play to stare Lucas down, looking for any sign of deception.

Lucas grimaced; this was going to be harder than he thought. He was sure that his spot in hell was permanently reserved now. "No, I haven't heard anything from her. I am just in the dark about where she is and what she's been up to as you are." Lucas felt a sharp twist in his heart as he watched Nathan's face fell at the realization that his brother didn't know anything more than what he had told him.

"Luke, I'm sorry for jumping all over you. It's just with yesterday being what it was and you having this huge piece of news, it just felt like my luck was changing. That I was going to finally getting somewhere, ya know? I just don't know what to do anymore," Nathan sighed. Lucas put a comforting hand on Nathan's shoulder, but looked away. He hated the fact that he was a partial reason why Nathan was this way. He hoped with all his might that Haley would come to her senses and make the right decision for all of them.

Back in Virginia…

Haley sat with Taylor on the bench that was situated with a view of the entire playground, so she could keep an eye on Jamie, she could think of nothing but Nathan and the potential fall out from her return, especially with Jamie in tow.

"Earth to Haley!" Taylor called as she snapped her fingers in front of her sister's eyes.

"What?" She asked as she came out of her reverie.

"I've been calling your name for like the past 3 minutes. I bet I know who you're thinking about," Taylor replied with a wink and nudge.

"Whatever, Tay. It's not who you think. Okay, it is who you think, but it's not what you think," Haley rambled.

"Care to enlighten me?"

"Yesterday was our anniversary date, and apparently Nathan was not handling it well," she admitted softly

"Oh. Well why would you care if he was handling it well or not? After the way you saw him "handling" that whore in the shower, it's very clear that Nathan Scott doesn't "handle" anything well," Taylor said spitefully exaggerating her use of air quotes.

"There's more. According to Lucas, he was down at the docks and one thing leads to another, and Lucas told him why I left. Apparently, he has been in the dark all these years and has had absolutely no clue as to why I left," she continued.

"You have got to be kidding?! How in the world could he not know why you left?" Taylor asked in disbelief. She had always known that Nathan wasn't exactly the brightest bulb in the bunch, but damn he couldn't be _that_ stupid.

"Lucas seems to believe that he truly didn't know. And I know that deep down that Lucas wouldn't just say that. He knows Nathan well enough now to know when he's blowing smoke. Even with Lucas's opinion, I still can't seem to wrap my head around that he couldn't have known after all this time. I mean, how does someone do something like that and not figure out that that is the reason why their wife left them? And if did take Lucas telling him, does that mean there is a small chance that it didn't happen? ARGH!" Haley cried in frustration.

And there it was. The idea that maybe Nathan had not been unfaithful had never entered her mind until now. She felt like she was in a free-fall. Clinging to the belief that Nathan had betrayed her was what kept her strong in her conviction to stay away and to keep Jamie away. Now that the foundation of that belief was beginning to crack, she didn't know how long it would be until it all came crumbling down around her and she was forced to confront the fact that the past six years had been a huge mistake.

"Haley! Don't do this! Don't question for a second that you did the right thing by leaving! How could you even consider that the man did not cheat on you?! You saw him in the shower kissing a naked woman for Christ's sake!" Taylor bellowed garnering the attention of the other parents scattered around the playground.

"Tay, keep your voice down! I don't need all of Virginia to hear my business!" she hissed, "Yes, I know all to well what my eyes saw that night. But how do you explain Lucas telling me that Nathan honestly had no idea why I had left?" she questioned.

"I don't know how to explain what Lucas said, all I know is that you've come too far to go back there again. Think about Jamie," Taylor replied calming down from the previous tirade.

"I am thinking about him! God, Tay. He's six years old and he's never even met the man. Lucas was right, if I don't stop this, Jamie's just going to end up hating me. I can't let my selfishness keep Jamie from knowing his father any longer. And now that there may be a chance that this has been all for nothing, this isn't good, Tay." Haley buried her face in her hands.

"Look, you don't have to make a decision right this second. Contrary to popular belief, all of life's problems don't get solved at the playground in an hour. Take some time, think about it. I'm not going to try and persuade you one way or the other. You know my feelings on the whole Nathan issue. But I know that in the end, you're going to do what's not just best for Jamie, but for the both of you," Taylor said gently as she pulled her sister in for a sideways hug. She may not have been the most dependable or the most responsible out of the James siblings, but she was always there when Haley needed her.

"Since when did you become the voice of reason?" Haley teased, wanting to get off the subject of Nathan.

"Since always, I just try not to let it show, it would just ruin my reputation," she replied lightly and the two sisters laughed.

Even though Taylor had insisted that Haley take some time to think about her current situation, Haley knew that wasn't going to happen. She did not like for things to be looming over her like a dark cloud even though this one had been one had at least been on the horizon for six years now. She had made up her mind by the time she had to leave for her gig at Jimmy's. If it meant that Jamie would have Nathan and vice versa, that's all that would matter. She could deal with the repercussions and crap that Nathan would dish out. She knew in her heart that she couldn't keep them apart any longer. They needed each other. She had some time off from school coming up in a few weeks; she would do it then. Fate, on the other hand, had a different plan for her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks to those who have reviewed!**

**I don't own anything except the storyline.**

**Chapter 3**:

Tree Hill (Saturday morning)

"Brookie…time to get up," Peyton sing-songed as she stuck her head into the guest room that Brooke was staying in.

"Go away, why is bitch being a Peyton?" Brooke grumbled as she buried herself deeper under the covers.

"Man, I had forgotten that you are so not a morning person. C'mon, we've got to hit the road soon if we're going to get to this club on time. I've got your favorite coffee." Peyton held the steaming cup right at the edge of the comforter allowing the aroma to drift in. She laughed as she saw one perfectly manicured arched eyebrow peek out. Like a carrot enticing a donkey, she moved the cup further away until Brooke was fully out from under the covers and sitting up before handing it over.

"Ooh, that's yummy. So, why exactly are we heading to east bumblenowhere again??" Brooke mumbled into her cup.

"Brooke, I told you. There is a new act that I'm interested in maybe signing. We're going to see one of her performances. And it's not east bumblenowhere, it's Virginia Beach," she lied crossing her fingers behind her back.

A look of disappointment crossed over Brook's face, "Oh, it's a she? The least you could have done was taken me to see some hot new boy band with plenty of eye candy. Believe me, I'm going to need it after being in the car with you."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Peyton pretended to be insulted.

"You know very well what it means. It means you drive like shit, P. Sawyer. I'll be lucky to be alive when we get there," Brooke replied easily.

"Oh whatever. C'mon, get your rear in gear. The train is pulling out in 30 minutes, with or without you," Peyton said as she left the room not giving Brooke a chance to stall by talking further.

An hour later, the girls were on the road headed towards Virginia, one Ms. Haley James Scott otherwise known as Gwen Scott, headliner at Jimmy's Place, and one very interesting evening.

"Okay it's my turn. What will this new singer be like?" Brooke asked as she flipped the radio dial.

'_Cause I'm leavin' on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again-'_

Peyton immediately cut the radio off. Instead of answering Brooke's question, the radio seemed to have heard the question inside Peyton's mind that asked what Haley's reaction would be when she saw them.

"Okay, maybe it's time to give the radio game a rest for awhile. Oh, I know, why don't you tell me about Mr. Delicious" Peyton chirped changing the subject.

"Mr. Delicious? Ha! Which one?" Brooke chuckled. For the next hour and a half Peyton was subjected to Brooke describing her wild nights in the city.

"Brooke, there's something I have to tell you," Peyton blurted out as she interrupted Brooke's ump-teenth story about her random hot model escapades. She couldn't hold back the truth any longer.

"Of course, P. Sawyer. What is it? Jagielski finally knock you up and decided to make an honest woman out of ya?" She teased. Peyton grimaced; Brooke never made it easy for someone to break news gently to her. "He loooveees you, he wants to maaarrryyy you," she continued mercilessly.

"Brooke! Dammit, be quiet for two seconds, this is important!" Peyton shouted hoping that the shock of her yelling would shut Brooke up.

"Geez, P. Sawyer, sensitive much? Fine, what is so important that you have to interrupt me?" Brooke asked impatiently.

Peyton took a deep breath, "Okay, I wasn't exactly truthful about why we are on this trip." Brooke whipped her head around to face Peyton and laughed, "What? You're really here to murder me and dump my body on a practically deserted road?" Brooke quieted down as she noticed the intense glare that Peyton was throwing her way at the moment. "Geez, if I wanted to be around broodiness, I would have asked Lucas to come along," she mumbled underneath her breath.

"As I was saying, I wasn't exactly truthful about why we are on this trip."

"Yeah, you said that already."

"Would you please let me finish?" Peyton blew out getting more frustrated by the second.

"Fine," Brooked huffed back crossing her arms in annoyance.

"Okay, I was telling more of a half-truth. We are going to check out a potential new artist for the label, _butIthinkit'sreallyHaleydisguisedassomewomannamedGwenScott,_" Peyton speedily mumbled.

Brooke look bewildered, "Want to run that by me one more time, Goldilocks? I'm not fluent in gibberish."

Peyton sighed, she had to learn to stop blurting things out like that; it never worked the way she wanted it to. "I think that the singer that we're going to see is really Haley using a different name, Gwen Scott."

"WHAT?! And you're just telling me this NOW?!" Brooke screeched startling Peyton that the car almost swerved off the road.

"Geez, Brooke, I think I've just gone deaf in my right ear."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought I just heard you say that you knew where Haley was and that we were going to see her tonight. Oh wait, you did say that. Excuse me if I'm a little shocked," Brooke retorted sarcastically. "Now spill your guts Sawyer, and I want nothing left out."

"There's actually not much to tell. I was going through some demos that had come in the mail and hers was the last one that day. I thought it was weird because the return address was from this nightclub called Jimmy's Place in Virginia, don't get many demos from night clubs. Anyway, so the demo comes out and it's only got the name 'Gwen Scott' written on it. When I put it in the player, the intro sounded really familiar to me, and then it hit me, it was Haley's song, Halo with Haley singing. So, I called up the owner and he said that she would be performing tonight."

"And you're sure it was her singing? Not someone that sounded like her?" Brooke reasoned.

"There is no mistaking the voice of Haley James Scott."

"Wow," was all the reply that Brooke Davis could muster. She sat back in her seat and stared out the window as the scenery raced by thinking back to the day when she found out Haley had left town.

_Flashback_

"_Okay Tutor-girl, up and at'em. It's already 9:30 and we've missed out on 30 minutes of primo shopping time. We're going to have to get a move on if you want to look all sexy for Hot Shot's homecoming," Brooke called out as she made her way to Haley's bedroom after letting herself into the apartment. She stopped short as she surveyed the empty bed. That's weird, she thought, very un-Tutor-girl like to not be here when we have plans. Brooke sat down on the untouched bed and then truly surveyed the empty room. Dresser drawers pulled out from being emptied and closet door opened to reveal no clothing. What the hell is going, she thought to herself as she looked around the room for any clue that would explain the absence of both Haley and her clothes. Just as she was about to walk out of the bedroom, she heard the front door open, and she rushed towards it._

"_Where the hell have you been? And why the hell is your closet and all your drawers empty?" she demanded before the door was opened to reveal that the person walking through would not be Haley, but Lucas._

"_Broody? What are you doing here? Do you know where Haley is? We're supposed to go shopping for Nathan's homecoming-" she stopped short when she saw the pained expression on Lucas's face. "What's going on? Where is Haley?" Brooke started her line of questioning again, her voice becoming more hysterical with each question that came out. She stopped as the hot tears forming in her eyes threatened to spill down her cheeks. Lucas crossed the room in two strides and pulled the pretty brunette into his arms, rubbing her back soothingly to try and calm her down. _

"_Shh, it's going to be okay, Pretty Girl." He kept an arm around her shoulder as he guided her to sit down on the couch. By this point, Brooke was sobbing hysterically. Lucas spent the next few minutes trying to calm her down, dreading the fact that she would become hysterical again once he had broken the news to her. Finally, when her breathing had steadied and the tears stopped, he took a deep breath. "Haley isn't here, Brooke. She-"_

"_Well I can see that Mr. State-the-obvious! Where __**is**__ she?" she interrupted._

"_That's what I'm trying to tell you. Haley's gone, she's left town." His eyes never left her face. It killed him to be the bearer of bad news. Brooke always wore her heart on her sleeve, and seeing the sadness creep into her eyes was more than he could bear. _

"_What do you mean she's left town? When is she coming back?" she asked sniffling, although she already knew the answer. There was no way that this was just some little get-away. If Lucas was here, that meant that something bad had happened._

"_I don't have all the details, Brooke. All I know is that she had to leave, and I don't think that she's coming back." Lucas was glad that Brooke could not see his face. She would have known that he was lying to her about not knowing all the details. He hated lying to her because he knew that she always caught him. Brooke Davis could read Lucas like a book, the same way she could always tell when Haley or Peyton had sex. He took a white envelope out of his pocket and handed it to her. "She asked me to give this to you." Brooke opened the envelope and took out the single sheet of paper._

_My dearest Brookie Monster,_

_By the time Lucas delivers this letter to you, I will be gone from Tree Hill. I am so sorry to have to skip out on a Brooke Davis shopping extravaganza, but I needed to make sure that I was gone before Nathan returned. With that said, yes, I am leaving because of Nathan, but please don't be angry with him. You are one of his closest friends, and he is going to need both you and Lucas there supporting him. Make sure that he reaches his dream, Brooke. I could never live with myself knowing that he never got his dream._

_And the same goes for you. I know that you doubt that if you'll ever be good enough, and the answer is yes Brooke Davis. You are so incredibly gifted that I wish I had an ounce of your amazing-ness. So I want you to promise me that you will reach for your own star, life has some grand plans for you._

_Also, please take care of Lucas. He's always so busy taking care of everyone else that he forgets that he needs taking care of as well. He loves you. Don't ever forget that._

_And I love you too. You are one special lady Brooke Davis, and I will never forget that you are one of my dearest friends._

_You will always be in my heart._

_With love,_

_Haley_

_After reading Haley's letter, Brooke remained in Lucas's arms for quite some time, not wanting to believe that her best friend was gone for good. After awhile, she had pulled herself together, and as she and Lucas got ready to leave the apartment she saw them sitting on the breakfast bar counter, a white envelope marked "Nathan" and the little pink plastic Cracker Jack bracelet. They also did not fail to notice the divorce papers with Haley's signature on them. It was at that moment that reality set in for Brooke Davis, Haley James Scott was gone for good. They both looked back at each other realizing that they had been looking in the same spot. A look of understanding passed between them, and without having to say a word, they both vowed to honor Haley's wishes and be there to pick up the pieces when Nathan returned to emptiness._

_End Flashback_

"Wow? Is that all that Brooke Davis has to say? I tell you that we are maybe finally getting to see Haley and where's she been all this time, and all you've got is 'wow'?" Peyton teased gently, drawing Brooke out of her reverie.

"Geez, a little time to process here! You can't just spring something like that on me!" Brooke retorted.

"So, what do you really think then?"

"That the girl's got a shit ton of questions to answer when we get there, is what I'm thinking," she replied.

Peyton debated with herself whether or not to mention that Jimmy had mentioned Haley having a kid. Oh what the hell, she thought, better get it all out now. "Brooke, actually, there's more that I need to tell you," she hedged carefully. Brooke just raised her eyebrow as a sign to continue. "When I was on the phone with this Jimmy guy, he mentioned that Haley or Gwen usually plays Thursday through Saturday nights, but wouldn't be there this Thursday or Friday due to a family commitment with her kid…"she trailed off hoping Brooke would connect the dots herself. As the words registered, Brooke's eyes widened, she opened her mouth to speak, but no sound was coming out. Her mouth just kept opening and closing.

"OH MY GOD! WHAT?! TUTOR GIRL IS A TUTOR MOM?!" she finally screamed as her power of speech returned. Peyton winced in pain at the decibel that Brooke's voice had reached. "Oh my god, do you think it's Nathan's? What if it's not Nathan's?! Oh my god, do you think she's married to someone else? How could she do that? I mean I know she left to get away from Nathan, but geez to up and marry someone else and HAVE A KID!" Brooke rambled loudly.

"Brooke! Focus!" Peyton snapped. "Look, we need a game plan here, and we've only got a few hours to do so before we have to be at the club to see Haley perform. We can't just go in there guns blazing, which is why I only brought you and not the entire Tree Hill cavalry. We can't run the risk of Haley freaking out enough to run and disappear for another six years, especially if her kid is Nathan's," Peyton stated matter-of-factly.

"So, what exactly do you propose, here P. Sawyer? We can't very well kidnap the girl and make her come back to Tree Hill with us," Brooke snapped back.

"That's _not_ what I meant by game plan. What I meant was, you can't go all Brooke Davis and run screaming at her the second you see her. You're going to have to play it cool. We have to get her to where she can't run away like in the dressing room or manager's office or whatever. Hell, even the ladies' room would work."

"Hey! I resent that comment. I think I am quite capable of not going all 'Brooke Davis' as you imply," Brooke retorted as she stuck her tongue at the blonde.

"Whatever. Okay, I've got it. After Haley's set, I'm going to have Jimmy bring her to talk to us, except I'll say that we would like to talk somewhere in private, not out in the open. I'll suggest his office in the back and when Haley comes in; I guess that's when we'll have to wing it. Oh, and you'll stand by the door in case she tries to make a quick exit," Peyton explained while Brooke just stared at her with a dumbfounded expression on her face.

"Geez, P. Sawyer, I think you're in the wrong business. Are you sure you don't want to kidnap her and bring her back?" Both women fell into silence as the reality of what was about to happen set in.

"Do you ever wonder why she really left?" Brooke asked, the question barely above a whisper.

"I think it's pretty damn obvious. Was it really that huge of a secret? We all knew what probably happened. We were just all too chicken shit to ask Nathan anything because we were scared of sending him off the deep end," Peyton scoffed.

"Well, duh. What else were we supposed to think when she says that she is leaving because of Nathan? I mean, don't you want to know what really went down? Okay, I think we can safely assume that it was because Nathan was a naughty hotshot, but don't you find it odd that's he's played the 'I don't know why she left' card all these years? Not even an Oscar-winning actor could keep up that act for that long. Would it be totally impossible to imagine that maybe what we're all thinking maybe didn't happen?" Brooke reasoned.

"I don't know, Brooke. Haley's not exactly the type to just run away without hearing or knowing the whole truth. So whatever happened, it had to be concrete for her to just leave like that," Peyton countered.

"I know Haley wouldn't leave without a really good reason, but think about Nathan too. He's been waiting and looking for Haley for damn near six years all the while spouting the same old line about not knowing why she left. Now can you honestly tell me that if Nathan really did what Haley thinks he did, he would go through all of that? And before you go all P. Sawyer I-hate-cheaters-women's lib on me, I'm not saying that Nathan didn't cheat, all I'm saying is maybe there's more to the story than Haley or you or I know," Brooke pressed.

"Fine, no I can't honestly say that Nathan would react that way if he had cheated on Haley. But yet again, I point out that Haley would never leave like that without being totally sure of herself. However, I do agree, now that you've pointed it out, something doesn't quite add up. Haley's knee-jerk reaction and Nathan's behavior definitely does not go together," Peyton relented.

"I can't believe we're going to see her tonight, after all this time! It's going to be so great!" Brooke clapped her hands in excitement. Her sudden mood change left Peyton's head spinning.

"Brooke, I hate to be a downer, but Haley may not be that happy to see us. She's been gone for a long time without so much as a hello since then. Kind of a hint to stay away, don't you think?" Peyton broke gently.

"Whatever, P. Sawyer. _We're_ not the ones that she's pissed at. Besides, how could it not be a good time? I mean she's got a kid now. Tutor-kid will totally-" Her eyes widened as she clamped her hand over her mouth. Peyton glanced over at her, only taking her eyes off the road for second to see what would make Brooke stop mid-sentence.

"What? Yeah, she has a kid, we've been over this?" Peyton asked confused as her eyes returned to road.

"What if this kid isn't Nathan's? What if she's with someone else? What if she's _married_ to someone else? Oh my god. Nathan! How are we going to keep this a secret?" Brooke shot off the questions in rapid fire succession.

"Okay, slow down. Let's not freak out and get ahead of ourselves. One mini-drama at a time, please. We'll just wait and see what Haley's story is. As for Nathan, we're just going to have to hold it in until Haley is ready for him to know. Brooke, you have to swear right here, on every pair of shoes that you own, that you will not breathe a word of this to Nathan…OR Lucas, now that I think about it," Peyton threatened full well knowing that Brooke would never endanger her shoe collection, not even if it meant a Naley reunion. God, what was she thinking bringing Brooke? She should have brought, someone who actually knew how to keep a secret, someone like Lucas.

"You so did not just go there, P. Sawyer. I know how to keep a secret!" Brooke protested.

"Whatever, just swear!"

"Okay, okay, I swear on all that is holy that should I not keep this secret," she took a deep breath, "then I will forsake my shoe collection," she choked out looking on the verge of tears.

"That's a good Brookie," Peyton chuckled.

"The things I do for you Tutor-Girl," Brooke mumbled.

_Later that night at Jimmy's Place_

Peyton and Brooke walked into the crowded bar about a quarter of nine. Quickly scanning the room, Peyton motioned for Brooke to follow her to the bar. Standing at what seemed that last quarter inch of free space, they waited patiently for the well-muscled bartender to make his way over to them.

"Where can I find Jimmy?" Peyton asked when he stood before them.

"Who wants to know," he asked gruffly.

"I'm Peyton Sawyer with Red Bedroom Records. Jimmy asked me to come see one of his acts. Gwen Scott," she announced. The almost immediate change in the bartender's demeanor at the mention of Gwen Scott did not go unnoticed by Brooke. This man obviously felt something for Gwen.

The bartender picked up a phone behind the bar. "Yeah, Jimmy, got a Peyton Saw-. Right. Will do." He turned and set two beer bottles in front of them. "Jimmy will be right out. Make yourselves comfortable," he told them. Peyton took a swig from the bottle, and Brooke used this opportunity to pounce.

"So..Owen," she practically purred, reading the bartender's nametag. "Tell me more about Ha-er Gwen." Peyton nearly spit out her mouthful of beer and whipped her head around to give the brunette a death glare.

"Brooke!"

"What?! Peyton, if you're here to check this girl out, it would probably be nice to get a little background info on her, right?" She turned back to Owen. "Now, Owen, you were just about to tell us about Gwen before you were so rudely interrupted. Please, continue," Brooke commanded with a wave of her hand.

"Gwen, well she's Gwen. She teaches English at the high school during the week and sings here on the weekends. Her students love her and the customers love having her here, too," Owen said attempting to sound nonchalant, but both Brooke and Peyton could see the light in his eyes when he spoke of Gwen/Haley. Clearly, this man had deep feelings for Gwen/Haley. When he stepped away to help a customer, the two friends turned to each other with the same thoughts: Was Haley involved with this man, and was he the father of her child. They wouldn't have a chance to discuss this new development as a large voice boomed out, "You must be Ms. Sawyer. I'm Jimmy, nice to meet you!" the man grabbed Brooke's hand and shook it vigorously. "You're even prettier than you sounded on the phone." He let go of her hand and pinched her cheek. The man standing before them could hardly be described as a nightclub owner. Dressed in a relaxed polo and blue jeans, he resembled a loveable grandfather.

Still giggling at the innocent flirting, Brooke pointed at Peyton and corrected the older gentleman's mistake. Turning slightly red, Jimmy picked up Peyton's hand to shake.

"Forgive me, darlin'. It's very nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you as well, Jimmy. This is a great place you have here," Peyton said amicably.

"Thank you. It's not much, but it gets the job done. I'm real glad that you could come up. Like I told you earlier, Gwen is a real talent, and she's wasting it here. She's gonna be real surprised! Oh look at me yammering on, it's close to 9. I've got to head to the stage now. Sit, relax, anything you want, it's on the house." And just as fast as he had appeared, Jimmy was gone leaving two amused women in his wake.

"So, at least she's mentioned you. That's a good sign, right?" Brooke asked turning towards Peyton looking hopeful.

"I don't know Brookie. When I talked to Jimmy earlier this week, he said that all she said was that she knew of someone who started Red Bedroom, but she didn't say anything about knowing me personally. I'm not quite sure what to think," Peyton responded not wanting to Brooke to get her hopes up too high.

Before Brooke could reply, the house lights dimmed and Jimmy stepped out on the stage.

"Good evening everyone! Ya'll having a good time tonight?" He yelled out to the crowd, which gave an enthusiastic holler. "Excellent! Well, we have a treat in store for you folks. Back from an extended two night absence, our very own Gwen Scott has returned to Jimmy's." The crowd chuckled at Jimmy's exaggeration. "Like I was saying, Gwen's back and ready to sing just for you guys. So without further ado, give it up for Gwen Scott!"

The crowd roared as Haley/Gwen stepped out onto the stage with her guitar in hand, pausing a moment to give Jimmy a quick kiss on the cheek. She quickly took her place behind the microphone, adjusting it to her preferred height.

"How are ya'll doin' tonight? You ready to have some fun?" She called to the crowd as they cheered. "Awesome! My first song tonight is a cover of my favorite Sheryl Crow song, hope you guys enjoy." She began the song and her melodic voice filled the club. Almost immediately, the crowd was lost to the music, it was if her voice could put those who could hear under a spell.

Brooke and Peyton were completely dumbfounded. If they didn't know Haley's voice so well, they would have a hard time believing that the woman up on stage was their friend. Gone were Haley's long honey blonde locks, replaced with shoulder length auburn hair. And although she, by no stretch of the imagination, looked old; she definitely looked more mature

It was close to 11 when Haley finished her set. When she came off the stage, Jimmy was waiting for her as usual with a huge Chesire cat like grin.

"Okay, Jimmy, why do you have that cat just ate the canary look on your face?" Haley laughed as she sipped from a water bottle he handed her to soothe her throat.

"Gwen, come with me to my office. There's something we need to discuss," he said as sternly as he could, hoping to hide the excitement that he actually felt. Before Haley had finished singing, Peyton had asked if they could use his office to talk to Haley/Gwen and he was more than glad to oblige if it possibly meant some good news.

"Is something wrong Jimmy? Something wrong with my performance?" Haley asked nervously. She was always worried that her singing was never good enough.

"Oh no, my dear, nothing like that. You just come with me, I have a surprise for you!"

"Aww, Jimmy, you know I don't like surprises," she whined.

"Trust me Gwennie, you're going to love this one." He pushed the door open; Brooke and Peyton whipped around not seeing that Haley's petite body frame was completely hidden behind Jimmy's larger one. He reached behind him and pulled her to the front. Haley was still laughing at the silliness of it all, and then she saw them. The color drained completely from her face and her hand flew to her mouth to keep the gasp that threatened to escape.

"Surprise…." Peyton managed weakly as Brooke looked on the verge of tears.

Jimmy looked like a deer caught in headlights. This was definitely not the reaction that he was expecting.

"Ah Jimmy, do you mind giving us a few minutes alone?" Haley asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Jimmy was unsure of what to do, but she gave him a look that told him that she'd be okay, and he slipped out closing the door behind him.

The three women just stared at each other, neither one exactly sure what to say.

It was Haley who found her voice first. "Wha- what are you guys doing here? How did you find me?"

Brooke and Peyton looked at each other; finally Brooke motioned for Peyton to start explaining.

"Well," she cleared her throat, "um, long story short, earlier this week, I received a cd in the mail from Jimmy, and it was one of your performances. He wanted me to come see you so that I might sign you to a record deal. I guess the curiosity got the better of me. I hadn't seen or heard from you in so long, I just wanted to see you," Peyton choked out. She noticed that Brooke had maneuvered herself in front of the door, no doubt to prevent Haley from bolting out the door. Peyton rolled her eyes, but kept her gaze fixed on Haley.

Haley thought back to the conversation where she had mentioned knowing about Red Bedroom to Jimmy. She couldn't even remember how they had gotten onto the subject, but she had been so proud of Peyton when Lucas told her about the studio opening that she had just let it slip. She had immediately regretted the slip up knowing that it could possibly come back to haunt her. And today was that day.

Haley's look of horror that had been ensconced on her face since she walked into the room had since dissolved into joy as the tears started to spill. She was overcome with the emotion at seeing her two best friends after so long. She launched herself at Peyton and pulled her into a bone crushing hug. Brooke, never wanting to be left out, rushed over and joined in the hugs and tears.

"Oh you guys, I really am glad to see you, just a little surprised is all," Haley said wiping away the tears. Brooke and Peyton could only nod. Before they could respond, there was a knock at the door.

"Gwen, you okay in there?" Owen's voice came through the door.

"Everything's just fine, Owen. Come in," Haley called back. The door opened and Owen hesitantly stuck his head through. Haley laughed and went to pull him completely into the room. "O, don't be silly, come and meet my friends."

"We met briefly before you went on stage. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Jimmy said you looked upset," he explained, the concern apparent on his handsome face.

"We're just fine. Just a little emotional, it's been awhile since we've seen each other. I think we're just going to head back to my house and continue our little reunion there," Haley said sheepishly, a small blush creeping into her cheeks, embarrassed at being caught in such a emotional state.

"Oh, okay. Sure thing," he said as disappointment flashed replacing the previous look of concern. Geez, Brooke thought to herself, could this guy be any more obvious?

"Oh my gosh! I completely forgot! How about a rain check for tomorrow?" Haley offered remembering their standing date for dinner after her set.

"Definitely, tomorrow. I'll give you a call. Brooke, Peyton, it was great meeting you two. Have a good night." He gave a Haley a soft kiss on the cheek that lingered just a little too long to be considered just a friendly kiss, and left the room. She turned back to her friends and was met with raised eyebrows from both girls.

"What? Okay, it's not like that! Owen is just a good friend!" Haley protested, blushing furiously.

"Yeah, right Tutor-Girl. He's a good friend just like the Pope is Jewish," Brooke teased. Haley smiled at Brooke's use of the familiar nickname and any tension that had previously been in the room was now gone. It was as if no time had passed and they were just three best friends sharing a light-hearted moment.

"Whatever you say, Brookie. Let me get my things together, and I'll meet you guys out front. You can follow me to my house," Haley told them and they headed out of the office. As Peyton and Brooke waited by the entrance, Haley collected her guitar and said her goodbyes to Jimmy and Owen, reassuring them that she was fine and would check in with them tomorrow.

Twenty minutes later, they arrived at Haley's bungalow style home and walked inside. She pointed them towards the living room and told them to make themselves comfortable while she changed. The home definitely had a "Haley" feel to it. Decorated simply in warm, rich tones, and instead of fancy paintings or vases, the walls and bookcases were filled with pictures. A majority of the pictures were of whom Brooke and Peyton assumed was Haley's kid, but there were also many pictures of them and Lucas. And the display of Nathan and Haley's wedding pictures also raised a couple of eyebrows. This was definitely going to be an interesting they both though to themselves. They were still looking through the pictures that told the story of Haley's life since Tree Hill when Haley returned to the living room with a bottle of wine and three glasses.

"I figured it was going to be a long night, might as well have a little fun while we're at it," Haley said shrugging her shoulders.

________________________________________________________________________

"So, what are you going to do about Jamie?" Peyton asked quietly. It was few hours and several bottles of wine later, when Haley had finished telling Brooke and Peyton every last detail of what had happened between her and Nathan that caused her to leave so suddenly including Jamie. Now, she was facing the firing squad.

Haley paused for a moment, not wanting to reveal the fact that Lucas had known her secrets this whole time. "I've actually been doing a lot of thinking about that actually. Which is kind of funny, since you two are here now. A good friend helped me to realize that I couldn't keep Jamie and Nathan apart any longer."

"Would this good friend be Owen," Brooke broke in, not being able to hold in her curiosity any longer. For the second time that night, Peyton's mouthful of liquid was almost lost.

"Brooke!" she scolded again.

"What?! Don't deny what you saw P. Sawyer! That boy has it bad for Haley or Gwen or whatever the hell her name is over there! Shit, the people in Tree Hill could see how much he wanted her. I'm just trying to get the facts straight," Brooke huffed. As long as Haley was dishing, she was going to get every last ounce of information she could get.

Haley giggled partly due to the wine and partly at Brooke's antics. Same old Brooke, she thought to herself, always trying to get the dirt on everyone.

"It's okay, Peyt. Owen is just a really great friend. He's really been there for me and for Jamie. I know he probably has feelings for me, but you know me, denial is a very nice place to live most days. But to answer your original question, Brooke, no, it was not Owen who convinced me," she answered honestly.

"So you really saw Nathan kissing that nasty skank whore?" Brooke asked completely switching the subject abruptly.

"God Brooke, ADD much?" Peyton asked becoming annoyed at Brooke's domination of the conversation; she wasn't the only one with questions.

"Nevermind her, Tutor-Mom, so back to the skank whore," Brooke said, glaring at Peyton. Haley winced at the reference to the woman she had caught Nathan with. She still had trouble thinking of that night, even though it was on her mind constantly.

"Yes, I saw with my two own eyes Nathan and that woman kissing in the shower. Naked," Haley spat out bitterly.

"And you didn't march your cute little butt over there and give her the beat down of a lifetime for what reason again?" Brooke continued.

"Oh Brookie, I was too much in shock, I guess. There are a lot of things that I could have done differently that night, but this is the choice that I have to live with. Besides, it wasn't just about me anymore. I wasn't exactly in any condition to be starting any brawls…but I know I so could have taken her," Haley giggled as she shrugged her shoulders.

"Hell yeah you could have," Brooke shouted as she clinked her glass with Haley's as they fell into another fit of giggles.

"And the name change?" Peyton asked finally glad to be able to get a question before Brooke took control again.

"I knew Nathan would try to find me, but I wasn't quite sure how far he'd go. Knowing Nathan, he could be very resourceful, so I changed my name and had the court records sealed."

"So you're not even Haley now?"

"Well, kind of, I changed it to Gwen Haley Scott. That way Jamie doesn't get confused, Lu- er Taylor visits a lot, so he hears her call me Haley. I figured that was easiest in case anyone had any questions." Haley buried her nose into her wine glass, hoping that neither girl noticed her slip-up.

"Taylor visits you?" Brooke asked horrified.

"Yes, Brooke. She's my sister for crying out loud." Haley had to hide the smile that was forming at her lips. It was definitely no secret that Brooke and Taylor did not get along due to a rather unfortunate incident when they had been freshmen and Taylor a senior. What had started out as an innocent prank between seniors and freshmen resulted in a very nude Brooke trapped in the boys' locker room with a laughing Taylor holding her clothes on the other side of the locked door. Ever since then it had been war between the two girls.

"Well it's not fair! " Brooke asked with her lower lip sticking out like a petulant child.

"What's not fair?" Haley asked gently trying to placate the whining brunette.

"It's not fair that she gets to see you and to see Jamie!"

"Brooke, she's my family."

"And we aren't?!" Brooke retorted, insulted that Haley would imply that they were anything less.

"Brooke..." Peyton said uneasily, but Haley stopped her. She was not so naive to believe that they could all pick up where they had left off without any lingering feelings of anger.

"It's okay, Peyton. This has been six years coming. I expected it. Go on Brooke, let it out," Haley encouraged.

"I just want to understand! If Nathan was being an ass and you were preggers, you didn't have to run away. We would have been there for you. We would have helped you!" she cried.

"Aww, Brooke, I know you guys would have been there for me. I never doubted that for a second. I just couldn't handle being near anything that reminded me of Nathan or our life together. You guys were a part of that. I had to make a clean break. I know it was incredibly unfair that you guys had to be a casualty of that, but it's just how it had to be. " Haley turned to Peyton. "You've been awfully quiet tonight, P. Sawyer. I know you've got to have some choice words for me too."

"Ha! Like Brooke Davis would dare let me get a word in edgewise. Look, Haley, I'm not going to lie, to say that I wasn't thrilled with the way you left would be an understatement. I was definitely pissed. But six years does give a girl a lot of time to think. I know that you would have never left unless you felt that it was your only choice. Would I have preferred that you let us help you, of course, but I understand why you felt you had to leave," Peyton declared in a matter-of-fact tone.

Haley was shocked. Out of everyone she had left behind, she had totally expected for Peyton to be the angriest with her. Peyton had been particularly sensitive to sudden disappearances and Haley had witnessed first hand Peyton lashing out at those around her in dealing with the pain of being left. She had been prepared for an onslaught of shouting and overall bitchiness from the blonde, but it never came.

"Gosh, Peyt, I'm not sure what to say. I had expected you to really let me have it for the way I left. So I guess thank you," Haley said gratefully. "Look, you guys, I know that the way I left probably wasn't the best way to handle everything, but at the time it seemed right to me. I'm so sorry for cutting you guys out for so long," Haley said sincerely, hoping that her apology would be enough for tonight. Brooke and Peyton pulled Haleyinto a hug letting her know that they were going to be okay. They all had a long way to go before things would be close to normal, but tonight was a good start.

"So what happens now? "

"Are you going to come back? How are you going to handle Jamie and Nathan?"

"And speaking of Jamie, when do we get to meet him?" Brooke and Peyton shot at Haley simultaneously.

Haley laughed, "Guys! One question at a time. I don't know what happens next. I literally just made the decision to introduce Jamie to Nathan. I have no idea how I'm going to do that. We all know how bad Nathan's temper is. When he finds out that I've been keeping Jamie from him, nuclear war is going to look like a tea party. As for coming back, that's up in the air too. I have my life here too, but if Nathan is going to be a part of Jamie's life, some changes are going to have to be made. And Jamie is spending the night with a friend tonight, so you'll get to see him in the morning when she drops him off."

"Tell us more about Owen, more importantly, tell me more about you and Owen!" Brooke demanded.

"Brooke! There is nothing going on between Owen and me except for friendship," Haley insisted.

"Okay, if not Owen. Who's the man in your life?" Brooke continued to prod.

"There's no one Brooke. The only man in my life is Jamie," Haley replied averting her eyes and turning towards the wall where her wedding pictures were hanging. Peyton, observant as ever, noticed Haley's eyes shifting towards the wall.

"Haley, do you love Nathan?" she asked quietly.

"Of course I love him Peyt. He was my first love, first everything, and he is Jamie's father. I'll always love him."

"Well, duh Tutor-Girl. What P. Sawyer meant to ask was, are you still _in_ love with him?" Brooke said exasperated.

Haley let out a long sigh, "I honestly don't know. My head tells me that I should have already moved on by now, especially since he's the one that cheated, but my heart just can't seem to let him go."

"You know he still loves you. He's been looking for you for this entire time. He hired a private investigator a few years back. I guess you really knew what you were doing when you had those court records sealed," Peyton said hesitantly.

"If he loved me so much, how could he do what he did?" Haley retorted.

"I don't know Tutor-girl, all I know is that boy has been out of his mind with worry these past few years."

"What exactly are you trying to get at Brooke?" Brooke opened her mouth, but Peyton cut her off. She didn't want to scare Haley off when they had made so much progress.

"Nothing. She was getting at nothing, right?" Peyton shot Brooke a look that clearly indicated that she was not to say another word.

"Right, you know how I get. Don't mind me." Brooke busied herself with examining her nails trying to look uninterested in the sudden turn of conversation.

"I know you guys would love nothing better than a Naley reunion, but I just don't see that happening. I have Jamie to think about now. Too much time has passed to go back to that again. The best I can offer is letting Jamie have his father back again."

"Whatever you say, Hales. Just promise us that this time, you'll let us be there for you. Let us help you. You don't have to do this alone," Brooke pleaded.

"Oh Tigger, you have no idea how much that means to me. I promise, no more running."

"Yay, Tutor-Girl is coming home!" Brooke shouted.

"Whoa. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I just need a little time to think things through. I have some time off of school next month. I was planning on doing it then. But until then, I want you; no I need you guys to this just between us. Just for a little while longer. I don't want Nathan hearing this from anyone else. And I definitely do not need a surprise attack." Haley and Peyton both turned to Brooke and gave her pointed looks.

"What? I can totally keep a secret!" Brooke huffed, she couldn't believe that she was having this conversation again after Peyton's tirade earlier in the car.

"Don't worry Hales. Brookie and I have already had this conversation. She'll keep your secret, she's sworn on her shoes," Peyton announced with an evil twinkle in her eye. Haley could only laugh, but gave Brooke a hug to let her know that she appreciated the gesture.

"Ladies, a toast, " Brooke announced as she raised her near empty glass unsteadily, "here's to old friends and…finding love again," she finished with a pointed look at Haley. She sighed in resignation at the same time that Peyton groaned as the three girls clinked their glasses together.

"Welcome back, Haley James Scott."


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and/or added me to their favorites and/or alerts list. Keep 'em coming =)

I thought I'd go ahead and post in honor of tonight being the Season 7 premiere!

So, here you go!

**Chapter 4:**

"Momma, why are we going to visit Aunt Taylor in Tree Hill? She always comes to visit us," Jamie asked curiously from the backseat.

"Jamie, I told you, Aunt Taylor is about to have her baby, and Uncle Chris has to go out of town, so we're going to help her out for a little while," Haley explained patiently trying to keep her concentration on the road.

"Will we get to see Uncle Luke and Aunt Peyton and Aunt Brooke?" He asked excitedly.

"Of course you'll get to see Uncle Lucas and Aunt Peyton. I'm not sure about Aunt Brooke, she doesn't live in Tree Hill anymore."

"I'm so excited to see everyone, Momma! I've never been to Tree Hill before. I get to see where you and Daddy grew up!"

"I know, baby. We're going to have a lot of fun," she said with as much enthusiasm as possible, but what she really wanted to do was turn around and head right back to the safe haven of Virginia. Jamie just simply nodded happily and went back to the books that Haley had packed for the long road trip.

It had been a month since fate had intervened and forced Haley to confront her past. And now it seemed that fate was playing her again by having Taylor call for help at the same time as her break from work giving her virtually no excuse not to return to Tree Hill. It was almost as if the universe could sense that she was waning on her promise to return and created circumstances that would ensure that she returned to Tree Hill.

_Flashback…_

_2 weeks earlier_

"_Oh Haley-bop, who's your most favorite sister in the whole wide world" Taylor sing-songed through the phone._

"_Um, Quinn, no wait she was last week. Viv?" Haley replied teasingly_

"_Don't be a bitch Haley-bop," Taylor shot back._

"_Aww, Tay, you know I love you best..today. So what's up?"_

"_Well, Chris just got a gig out of town in a couple of weeks, and since it's so close to my due date, he doesn't want me to be home by myself. And I was thinking, since you'll be on break then, it would be the perfect time for you to come for a visit," Taylor explained, fully prepared to deal with Haley's mile long list of excuses not to. She knew her sister was starting to chicken out on coming back, but she wouldn't be able to resist helping out a family member in need._

"_What about Jamie? I can't very well leave him here, and you certainly don't need an active six year old running around your house aggravating you," Haley pointed out._

"_Oh, don't be silly. Bring the little munchkin. He'll be like my stand-in Chris seeing as how they have about the same maturity level," Taylor countered, rolling her eyes, this was going to be easier than she thought._

"_What about Mom, Quinn, or Viv? I'm sure they'd be better at taking care of you than I would," Haley reasoned._

"_Puh-lease. Be serious here, Hales. Mom is off gallivanting to God knows where, by the time she got here, my child will be a year old. And Quinn and Viv have their own jobs and families to see to. You are the only one that has that time off. And besides, you are my most favorite sister, no one else can take care of me like you can," Taylor said sweetly._

"_Tay..I don't-"_

"_C'mon Hales..pllllllleeeeeeeeeeeaaaaassssseeee?You wouldn't leave your hugely pregnant sister all alone to defend for herself would you? You wouldn't want your niece or nephew to be born outside the safety of a hospital would you?" Taylor whined. She knew Haley couldn't stand her whining._

"_Okay, okay. You win. Just stop whining. Jamie and I will come down to Tree Hill on our break," Haley finally relented biting her lip nervously. _

"_Yay! Can't wait to see you guys! Love you, bye!" Taylor rushed to get off the phone, not wanting to give Haley a chance to change her mind. _

_End Flashback…_

Two hours later, they were entering Tree Hill. Haley felt an instant tightening in her chest as they passed all the familiar places that were so dear to her growing up and even more so after she had met Nathan. She felt the tears spring to her eyes as memories flooded her mind, and she bit her lip to keep them from spilling over. Thankfully, they had arrived at Taylor's house before she'd had a chance to really lose it. After a noisy welcoming, Haley, Chris, Taylor settled into the living room, while Jamie played in front of them.

"So, Hales. I've got a favor to ask..," he stopped talking when he realized that he was receiving identical glares from both girls.

"Geez, Chris, they just got here. Give them a minute to breathe before you go begging for favors!" Taylor hissed, smacking him on the back of his head.

"Yeah, Chris. Aren't I already doing you a favor just by being here? And you already want another one?" Haley asked incredulously.

"Hey, I'm just trying to help you make the most of your time here!" Chris said pointedly, glaring right back Taylor, who just rolled her eyes. Inconspicuous, her husband was not. "Anyway, this favor, I had this awesome band signed up to perform at Tric for Friday night, but their manager just emailed me, it seems that the entire band has come down with a really nasty case of food poisoning…"

"So what does that have to do with me?" Haley cut him off, dreading what he was about to ask.

"Well, like I said, the band has food poisoning, and now I don't have an opening act, so I was wondering if you…" his voice trailed off as he looked at her with hopeful eyes.

"Oh no you don't, Chris Keller. There is no way I can perform at Tric! Are you out of your mind?" She screeched at him.

"Haaaallles, come on! I'm in a tough spot here, there is no way I can find another decent act this close to Friday night," he pleaded with her.

"No way in hell," Haley said crossing her arms over her chest indicating that she meant what she said.

Chris turned to Taylor with desperation in his eyes, "A little help here, Tay?"

"What do you need my help for? You're doing a mighty fine job all on your own," Taylor choked out barely able to breathe from laughing so hard. Chris narrowed his eyes and put his hands together it was time to play hardball.

"You wouldn't want Karen to lose her club because it had a reputation of not providing its customers with good music, would you?" Chris smiled wickedly as he knew had won when he saw Haley's eyes widen as big as saucers. He knew Haley well, and he knew how fiercely loyal and protective she was of those she loved. She would never intentionally do something that would bring harm to her family or friends. "C'mon, Hales. You know you want to deep down inside. Taylor tells me you perform every weekend. Don't do it for me, do it for Karen," he prodded fully aware that Haley was on the verge of caving.

"Okay, fine. I'll do it. For Karen. Not for you. Ass," she huffed knowing full that she had just been played like a violin. Oh god, what had just agreed to.

"Momma, you shouldn't say ass," Jamie called from his spot on the floor. Haley flushed at having to be reprimanded by her child, but that was the least of her concerns. She had hoped to have as much of a drama-free week as possible, especially if this whole Nathan-Jamie introduction was going to happen, which she still had no idea how she was going pull that off. Performing at Tric had just added a new level of stress that she did not need.

_Flashback.._

_Haley bit her lip as she held the phone to hear listening to the ringing on the other end._

"_Hales!" Haley smiled into the phone despite the butterflies swarming in the pit of her stomach. Lucas could always make her feel instantly better by sounding so happy to hear from her._

"_Hey Luke, you got a minute? There's something we need to talk about."_

"_Anything for you buddy, what's on your mind?"_

"_Well, I just got off the phone with Taylor, and I've decided to come back." Lucas was speechless. When she had promised that she would think about bringing Jamie and Nathan together, he had backed off of pushing the issue. He knew he couldn't rush her, or she would never come back. "Luke? Are you still there? Say something, I'm kindafreakin' out over here. What do you think? You think I'm making a mistake, don't you? I should just stay here," she rambled nervously._

"_What? Of course I don't think you're making a mistake! I've been asking you to come back for the past six years. Hell, I never wanted you to leave in the first place!" Lucas assured her. Haley let out a sigh of relief. She knew she could never get through this without Lucas's support. "So, what finally changed your mind?"_

"_You were right all along Luke. I can't keep Nathan away from Jamie anymore, not if I don't want Jamie to resent me. They deserve to have each other, no matter what happened or happens between Nathan and me." She rolled her eyes as she could practically hear Lucas smirking through the phone. "And no, you don't get to say I told you so. What you get to say is how can I help you."_

_Lucas laughed at how well his best friend knew him. Those exact words were indeed on the tip of his tongue. "Okay, Hales. How can I help you?" He asked with a huge grin plastered to his face. _

"_I need your help in figuring out where Nathan is or isn't going to be during my time there."_

"_Huh?"_

"_Lucas, try and keep up. Obviously, I can't exactly come waltzing back into town and pretend like nothing's happened. I also don't want any chance of accidentally running into Nathan before I'm ready. So, first, I need to know if he's even going to be in town when we're going to be there. Then I can plan from there."_

"_Same old Haley, always with the plan. Okay, as far as I know, he's going to be here. It's the off-season, so he'll be staying at the beach house. What he does during the day is beyond me, but every night at sunset, he's at the docks." Lucas grimaced; he had not meant to say that._

"_He does?" Haley asked stunned by Lucas's revelation. "Why would he go there?" She whispered, very much afraid of what he might say._

"_Haley, let's not do this now. You've got much more to worry about than why he's down at the docks every night," Lucas was almost begging her. Haley shook her head clear. _

"_Okay, Broody, that's two for this morning. Don't get used to it," Haley teased, easing the awkwardness that had built since Lucas's confession. "Lucas, you really have to help me here, I have no clue what I'm doing. How do you tell someone that you've been hiding their child for the past six years?"_

"_Well, maybe you don't dump everything on him at once. Maybe let the shock of seeing you back in Tree Hill wear off before you bring Jamie into the picture," he suggested._

"_I'm only going to be in Tree Hill for a couple of weeks, Luke. I don't exactly have the luxury of time," she reminded him a hint of agitation creeping into her voice._

"_Okay, okay. We don't have to have everything settled right this second. You've still got some time before you come down to figure things out," he pointed out_

"_Wow, going for a record this morning. That's three."_

"_What can I say, I am the master," Lucas replied with a hint of arrogance as they both laughed._

_End Flashback.._

"Thanks, Hales! You won't regret this, I promise! You just saved the Keller's ass!" Chris said gratefully as he threw his arms around Haley, who groaned at his use of 'the Keller'.

_Friday night..._

"Lindsey! Get a move on, babe. We don't want to be late," Lucas called out to his girlfriend.

"Luke, don't worry. She still has over an hour before she goes on. We'll be there in plenty of time," Lindsay assured him as she went back to applying the finishing touches on her make up.

Just as he was about to reply that he wanted to see Haley before the show, his phone beeped indicating a new message had been received. Flipping it open, he saw that it was from Nathan.

_Back in town early, plans tonight?_

Lucas snapped the phone shut without replying. Maybe Haley was right; he thought to himself, the universe really does have it out for her. She had told Lucas about Brooke and Peyton coming to see her at Jimmy's as Gwen Scott and how she had finally told them the truth about what had happened but leaving out the fact that Lucas had been helping Haley keep her secret all these years. They knew that when she came back everyone would eventually find out that Lucas had known all along. He wasn't that good of an actor that he could fake the surprise of having her back in town. He was going to have a lot of angry people at him, and she hated herself for putting him in that position. When he had told her that both Nathan and Peyton would be gone when she got here, she had almost literally kissed the ground. It seemed that Haley had finally caught a break. She knew that she would have to come clean eventually, but she was going to put that off as long as the world would let her.

"I'm ready, let's get this show on the road," Lindsay announced proudly as she walked into the foyer where Lucas was standing. Noticing his worried expression, "Babe, what's wrong?"

"Nathan just texted me. He came back early and wants to do something," he told her.

"Oh." Her smile disappeared from her face.

"Yeah. Oh."

"What did you tell him?"

"I didn't answer it. Hopefully, he'll think that we're out together and don't want to be bothered."

"I hope you're right. You might want to wait until after the show to tell Haley though. No use in freaking her out before she has to perform."

"Agreed. Okay. Let's go. We'll have a good time tonight and worry about Nathan later."

_At Tric..._

"Hey man, didn't you get my text?" Lucas froze as the familiar voice spoke behind him. He turned around slowly and came face to face with his little brother.

"Ah, Nate, how did you know we were here?" Lucas's voice cracked as he tried to get his reaction under control.

"I stopped by the café. The waitress mentioned that you and Lindsey were heading over here, thought I might be able to catch you. I didn't feel like being by myself tonight," Nathan explained easily. Before either brother could say anything else, Lindsey came rushing up to the table.

"Oh man, you should have seen her Luke. She is so nervous; she was hiding under a desk singing show tunes to herself. It was the craziest thing I'd ever seen, Ms. Always Calm and Collected Haaaa-" her eyes went wide as she finally noticed that the man in front of her was Nathan with Lucas behind him gesturing wildly for her to shut the hell up," HEEEEY NATHAN! What are you doing here? I thought you were out of town until next week!" She pulled him into a quick hug and gave Lucas a "what the hell is he doing here?" look. All Lucas could do was shrug his shoulders and throw his hands up in defeat. For whatever reason, the world wanted Haley James and Nathan Scott together.

Nathan looked bewildered. "Uh, great to see you too, Lindsey. My business wrapped earlier than expected, so here I am. Who were you just talking about?"

"Oh gosh, will you look at that, I totally left my drink while I was backstage. Nate, be a dear and get me a new one would ya? Cranberry vodka. Thanks, you're the best!" Lindsey practically shoved Nathan off his stool to get him moving in the direction of the bar and out of earshot. "Holy shit that was close! What is he doing here? I can't believe I almost said," she turned around to make sure that Nathan was still occupied at the bar, "Haley's name in front of him. Lucas, we have to get him out of here! We can't let him see Haley on stage!" Lindsey said near hysterics. Lucas got up to move towards Nathan frantically trying to think up an excuse to get them out of the building, but he was too late, fate had once again stepped in, the lights had dimmed and the crowd moved towards the stage. He just sank back down onto the stool; there was nothing either of them could do now except to be there to pick up the pieces. Nathan had barely made it back to the table with Lindsey's drink in tact, giving her an annoyed look for his trouble. She batted her eyes in thanks and turned towards the stage. This was not going to end well.

Karen walked out onto the stage to greet the crowd. Lucas closed his eyes; they were now just mere seconds away from a total melt down.

"Good evening everyone! I know Chris usually handles the music side of things for Tric, but he's away doing his own rocker thang," Karen paused to look out at the crowd expecting to see the impressed expressions of the audience at her use of 'hip lingo'. But what she got were the horrified faces of several teenagers and young adults hoping that she would end her suffering and just get on with introducing the band. Lucas inwardly groaned, feeling sorry for his mother, when would she learn that she should never ever try to be 'hip'? "Okay, well then. Most of you were expecting a band called The Submarines, but due to an unfortunate case of food poisoning, there has been a change in the line-up." Groans could be heard twittering through the crowd. "But don't worry, Chris found an amazing replacement. She's actually from right here in Tree Hill. Finally back after a six year absence, please welcome to the stage, Haley James Scott!"

Nathan's glass stopped mid-air as he heard Karen announce Haley to the stage. He must have been hallucinating; there was no way that she had just announced that Haley James Scott would be the new act for tonight. There was no way Haley could be back in Tree Hill, let alone performing tonight. He turned his head towards the stage, his heart thundering in his chest. It seemed as if the world was moving in slow motion, and there she was. The color drained from his face as the realization that Haley really was on stage finally registered. His mind was reeling with questions; when has she come back, why did she come back, was it for him? As his mind was moving a million miles a second, he couldn't help but stare at her, taking in the differences in her appearance. Haley had always been beautiful to him, but it seemed that over the years her beauty had grown by leaps and bounds. Her presence on stage exuded an air of self-confidence that he had never seen in her. It was sexy as hell, and he could feel his breathing becoming shallower as he took her presence in. Six years later and his emotional and physical reactions to seeing her were just as strong as ever. He was aching to go up on that stage and take her into his arms, where she belonged. He wanted to be able to explain that what she had seen in the locker room was a mistake. He just wanted her to be his again and for them to be together.

Both Lucas and Lindsey watched Nathan's reaction intently. So far, he seemed to be handling seeing Haley as well as could be expected. He was just watching her. They looked at each other and breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe this wouldn't end up so bad after all. They turned their attention back to Haley, although they had hoped that everything would work out for the best, neither of them could shake the nagging feeling in the pit of their stomachs that told them that the night would still prove to end up anything but good.

"Hello Tree Hill! It is so great to be back home! I've been gone for a few years, so I'm going to start off with the very first song that I ever sang here," Haley said to the crowd as she took her seat behind the keyboard that had been set up for her. She closed her eyes and began singing the lyrics to the Sarah McLachlan song that she had first sung to Nathan in the café so many years ago. As the song continued, she could feel her emotions bubbling up inside her. She still remembered the night she had sang only for Nathan and how that was the first night that she had truly let him see the real Haley. That was the night that she knew that she had fallen in love with him. When the song had finished, she opened her still closed eyes and the audience thundered with applause. Haley may have been a talented singer, but her real talent was making the audience feel what she was feeling through her music.

"Thank you Tree Hill! You've been great!" Haley called out as she left the stage. The audience had loved her so much that they had chanted her to two encores. She headed straight back to the dressing room, anxious to get back to Jamie and Taylor. She had felt badly leaving Taylor to watch Jamie, especially since that she was there to take of her, but Taylor had insisted. She was so engrossed in gathering her things together, that she did not hear the door open.

"Hello, Haley. It's been awhile," came a deep voice that she knew anywhere. She whipped around to come face to face with the man she had been running away from for six years. Her hand flew to her mouth and tears instantly sprang to her eyes.

"Nathan…how…," she barely managed to whisper as the world around her started to spin and then everything went dark.

"HALEY!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nathan rushed forward to catch her falling body. He carried her to the couch that was situated against the wall gently trying to shake her awake.

"C'mon Hales, wake up baby," he gently prodded, smoothing the hair away from her face. Even though he was scared that she had fainted, a small part of him was relishing in the fact that he was holding her in his arms again. He looked down at her face, and he couldn't restrain himself any longer. He lowered his lips down to hers in a gentle kiss. Seconds later, her eyes fluttered and flew open staring straight into the set of intense dark blue eyes that she knew so well. When she had gathered herself, she struggled to get up off the couch and him. Nathan reluctantly let go, and she stood up.

She was standing there taking him in, much like he had done when he had seen her on stage. Haley couldn't believe it was possible, but Nathan had gotten handsomer over the years. His fitted button up shirt showed his well-defined physique. His face had matured into a strong jaw line, and she started to wonder what it would be like to kiss the length of it.

"Are you okay? Do you need to go to the hospital" Nathan asked with concern, shaking her out of her daydream.

"Nathan, what are you doing here?" she finally got out and then grimaced; she had not meant to sound so bitter.

"You're not seriously asking me that question? If anyone has questions to ask, it would be me." Nathan retorted, his body tensing at her reaction.

"That's rich, especially coming from you," Haley bit back.

"You don't know what you're talking about," Nathan replied heatedly.

Haley sighed and ran a hand through her tangled hair. "Look, I don't want to argue with you Nathan. I have to get back to…I just have to get back," she replied weakly.

Nathan let out a humorless laugh. "Back to where, Hales? Back to where you've been all these years? Were you just going to show up and leave again hoping that I wouldn't be here? Now that you've seen me, are you going to disappear for another six years?"

"Oh Nathan. I didn't mean that I was leaving leaving. I just need to get back to Taylor. I'm staying with her while Chris is out of town. I know there is a lot that you and I have to discuss, but we're not going to discuss them in a dressing room at Tric. I promise we will talk soon." She tried to move past him to get the door.

"When?" He pressed as he leaned up against the door. He was not going to let her leave without a promise to talk.

"Tomorrow night. The docks at 8." He nodded in agreement and moved away from the door to let her pass through. As she turned to walk out, he grabbed her am to spin her back around and pulled her into his embrace.

"It's good to see you Hales. I've really missed you. I love you. Always and forever," he whispered huskily into her hair. Haley felt her entire body shiver at their close physical contact. Every feeling of intimacy rushing back to her. And just as abruptly as he grabbed her, he let her go and walked out of the dressing room. Haley stood there dazed, unable to speak or move, and Lucas came rushing in.

"Are you okay? I am so sorry! I had no idea he was going to be here tonight. He just sort of showed up and there was no time to get him to leave or warn you. I am so sorry!" Lucas rambled out.

Haley put her hand on his arm in attempt to calm him down. "Okay breathe, it's okay, Luke. It actually went a lot better than I expected, which scares me. I know it's going to get a lot worse before it gets better, considering Jamie."

"So things are okay?" he asked skeptically.

"Who knows? There is a lot of hurt, anger, and resentment on both our parts, and it's not like we got a whole lot accomplished, especially after I blacked out-"

"YOU WHAT?" he bellowed.

"Minor detail, I sorta blacked out for a few seconds. I guess the adrenaline from performing and then having Nathan surprise me sort of took its toll," Haley explained sheepishly.

"Haley, passing out is not a minor detail! Are you sure you're okay? Do you need to go to the hospital?" Lucas asked mimicking Nathan's earlier sentiments.

Haley rolled her eyes and muttered, "Oh my god, you two really are related. No, I don't need to go to the hospital. I just want to get back to Taylor and Jamie. Lord only knows what those two have been up to."

"If you're sure..," Lucas said uneasily.

"Lucas, I will be fine," Haley insisted emphatically.

"So, how'd you guys end things?" he asked switching subjects.

"I'm meeting him at the docks tomorrow at 8. I guess we'll start there and see what happens. Would you mind watching Jamie for me? I don't want to ask Taylor again considering her condition, and I know he'd love to spend the evening with his cool Uncle Lucas."

"Sure, Lindsey and I would love to keep him. It'll be fun."

"Thanks, Luke. You are the best. By the way, where is Lindsey?"

"She's out by the bar talking to Chase. She figured we'd need some privacy. Besides, I don't think she can look at you with a straight face since she saw you singing to yourself under the vanity," he teased playfully. Haley blushed as she swatted him on the arm.

"Geez, Hales, watch it with the violence. Guy with a heart condition," he whined. Haley just laughed; it felt good to be able to just be with him again, like old times.

They caught up with Lindsey at the bar and filled her in on the night's events. When Haley had once again convinced everyone that she was fine, they all headed their separate ways. Each one contemplating what the future would hold for Nathan and Haley.

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"You're going to meet Nathan looking like that?" Taylor asked with a look of disgust on her face.

"What's wrong with what I have on?" Haled asked looking down at the loose fitting jeans and bulky cable knit sweater.

"Haley, they do nothing for your figure. And a ponytail? Really, Hales? It's like you're purposely trying to turn Nathan off, not on."

"Tay, I'm not trying to do anything to or for Nathan. We're just going to talk. I look completely fine for just talking," Haley insisted.

"Haley, I cannot allow to leave my house looking like a schlumpy housewife. I forbid it," she commanded. Not wanting to start World War III with her pregnant sister, Haley threw her hands up in defeat.

"Fine, what do you suggest I wear?" she asked exasperated.

"Well, first, get rid of that sweater." She waddled into her closet and reemerged seconds later with a red halter top with a plunging neckline that left very little to the imagination.

"Taylor, we are going to the docks to talk. I'm not walking the street corner," Haley deadpanned. She then walked into the closet and came out with a peach lace trimmed camisole and matching angora cardigan.

"Okay, that I can let you leave in. But you have to change into jeans that actually fit and you leave with your hair down."

"Let me wear flip-flops and no make up outside lip gloss, and you've got a deal," Haley bargained. There was no way she was walking down to the docks in heels.

"Deal." And the two girls hooked their pinky fingers together to seal the deal as was the James sister tradition.

When Haley had finished dressing, she went to help Jamie get ready for his night with Uncle Lucas.

"You ready for a fun a night with your Uncle Lucas and Aunt Lindsey, buddy?" she asked.

"Yeah, Momma! Uncle Lucas said that we could have a water balloon fight just like you used to have. And he said I could stay up real late!" Jamie said excitedly.

"That does sound like a lot of fun Jimmy Jam. Just be sure to take it easy on your Uncle Lucas, you're a lot faster than he is, and if he asks for a truce, don't believe him," Haley advised with a grin on her face as the nostalgia of the childhood she shared with Luke washed over her.

"Momma, am I going to get to see my daddy while we're here?" Jamie asked out of the blue. Haley froze. How in the world was she supposed to answer that question?

"What makes you ask that, buddy?" she asked cautiously.

"Well, you always said that daddy was your heart. And you also said that your heart was in Tree Hill," he explained logically. Haley was overwhelmed. It was moments like that made her realize just how truly special Jamie was. She pulled him into her lap and held him tight.

"Jamie, about your daddy-" she began slowly before she was cut off by Taylor yelling that Lucas had arrived to pick Jamie up. She was about to start again, but Jamie had seemed to have already forgotten his question and was moving to grab his backpack with his overnight things. He bounded out the door and down the stairs and launched himself into Lucas's arms before he got to the bottom, sending Lucas backwards a few steps.

"Whoa there, J. Luke. Where's the fire?" He asked laughing, holding the boy tight as he flipped him upside down. Jamie could only laugh in response as Lucas continued the horseplay. Haley soon followed to send them off.

"Hey Hales, you ready for tonight?" Lucas asked not realizing that he was still holding Jamie upside down. Haley shot him a look and then looked at Jamie. She didn't want Jamie to know that she was meeting Nathan. Lucas nodded in understanding and put the little boy upright on his feet.

"Jamie, why don't you go say goodbye to Aunt Taylor. She's in the family room on the couch," Haley said to Jamie, who scampered off to find Taylor. When he was out of earshot, Haley turned back to Lucas.

"I'm not sure that I could ever be ready for what's about to happen tonight," she answered honestly.

"You'll be fine Hales. Just be honest with him. No more running," he said trying to calm her down as he saw her furiously gnawing on her lower lip. She only nodded in response.

"Okay Momma I said goodbye to Aunt Taylor, can I go with Uncle Lucas now?" Jamie asked impatiently as he came charging back into the doorway.

Haley knelt down to hug Jamie. "Now you be good for your Uncle Lucas, and mind what he or Lindsey says. And remember what I said when Uncle Lucas asks for a truce," she whispered to him as she gave him their traditional eskimo kiss.

"Hey! I heard that," Lucas said in pretend indignation. Haley chuckled as she stood up.

"I love you Momma, see you tomorrow!" Jamie called as Lucas escorted him out the door, and down the porch steps to his car.

"I love you too, buddy! Have a good time!" She called back waving and closed the door when they had driven out of the driveway. What neither she nor Lucas had noticed was the pair of dark blue eyes that had been watching the house.

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Haley looked down at her watched and mentally cursed. She was going to be late. She thought that walking to the docks would alleviate some of her nervousness, but had misjudged how long it would take to get there. She quickened her pace and was slightly out of breath when she arrived at the set of picnic tables on the docks. A quick scan of the empty tables indicated that Nathan would also be late. Some things never change, she thought to herself and she sat on one of the benches and waited.

Nathan's emotions were out of control when he arrived at Lucas's house, his meeting with Haley completely forgotten.

_Flashback…_

_Nathan had been on his way home to get ready for his meeting with Haley when he noticed Lucas getting out of his car at an unfamiliar house. He was about to yell out a greeting when he saw the door open and little boy jumping into Lucas's arms. His curiosity growing at the scene playing before him, Nathan parked the car along the side of the street and continued to watch with interest. A small smile tugged at his mouth at how well Lucas was interacting with the child; theirs was obviously a close relationship. Seconds later, the smile was gone as feelings of sadness tugged at his heart. In a different world, that could have been his child greeting him. His heart ached at the memory of the dreams that he and Haley had for a family. Dreams that seemed to be so lost until the night he had seen Haley at Tric. He was about to drive away when he saw something that made his heart jump into his throat. Haley had come into view. He watched as she sent the little boy back into the house while she spoke to Lucas. He also watched as the little boy came back and she knelt down to kiss him before Lucas left with boy in tow. The scene had been so maternal that Nathan knew without a doubt that the boy belonged to Haley. He felt his jaw clench at the thought of Haley having a child with another man. It was when Lucas was leading the boy to the car that he was able to see the boy's face clearly. He was able to discern that the child's eyes were a shade of blue that seemed eerily familiar to him. And then it dawned on him; the child's eyes were identical to his own. But it couldn't be, could it? Haley wouldn't keep a child, especially his child secret from him, would she? Nathan watched Lucas leave and his grip on the steering wheel tightened, his knuckles turning white. He wanted answers and he wanted them now. _

_End Flashback…_

He pounded on the door but was only met with darkness and silence. Shit, he cursed to himself, why didn't he think to come here first. In his shocked state, he had gone by the Rivercourt and driven by Karen's Café before stopping at Lucas's house. He sat down on the porch steps, determined to wait until he returned home to get the answers that he sought. The past 24 hours had been such a roller coater ride of emotions. He had finally started feel like he was on solid ground again after Haley's reappearance last night. First, his estranged wife had suddenly come back into his life, and now there was a possibility that he had a son that he didn't know about? Nathan didn't think that his heart could take many more surprises. All he had wanted at this point was to know what the hell was going on. It seemed that everyone was in on some big secret except for him. He recalled watching Lucas with the little boy. The familiarity in which the two had interacted suggested a very close relationship. Had Lucas known about him this whole time? And if Lucas had known about him, did that mean that Lucas had known where Haley was ever since she left? He was brought out of his reverie when he heard furious sounding footsteps approach the house. His head snapped up and in an instant blue met blazing brown.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she demanded furiously. "I waited for 45 minutes for your ass to show up, and now I find you here at Lucas's?" Her hands balled up and planted on her hips. He knew that stance well, he was lucky that she hadn't taken to stomping her feet just yet.

"What am I doing here? What are _you_ doing here? Why would you come here instead of going back to Taylor's?" Nathan challenged his anger building.

"Maybe I wanted to talk to my best friend. Maybe I wanted to talk to him about what an ass his brother is," she retorted.

"What an ass I am? You've got some nerve. You waited 45 minutes Haley. I've been waiting for six goddamned years!" He bellowed at her.

"How dare you! How dare you yell at me for the years _you_ wasted! It was your own goddamned fault! You're the one that ruined everything!" Haley screamed at him.

"_I _ruined everything? I'm sorry, last time I checked, I wasn't the one that ran away!" he said in disbelief.

"Yeah, and I wasn't the one that broke our vows!" she threw out.

"I didn't either!" he exclaimed as Haley snorted.

"I must be the dumbest person on earth! Cause somehow I missed the lesson that explained how kissing naked whores equated to not breaking your vows," the sarcasm dripping from her voice.

Nathan's fists were clenched by his side, a sign of his frustration at the direction at which this argument was heading. Ever since Lucas had told him the reason Haley had left, he had been praying for the chance to explain everything to her. Now that moment was here, and all he felt was anger at the possibility that Haley had kept his child a secret. If she wanted a fight, she was going to get one.

"Yeah? What about the lesson that I missed where it said that it was okay to keep your child a secret from its father?" he countered angrily.

"W-what are you talking about?" she whispered shakily as the color drained from her face. She definitely had not expected him to say that. Feeling that her legs were about to give out on her, she sat down heavily on the porch steps. She wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her chin on her knees. Nathan sighed heavily as he ran his hands through his hair and sat down with a thud next to her. This was not how he had envisioned his reunion with Haley to be. He wasn't quite sure what he had expected to happen when he saw her again, but yelling at each other on Lucas's front porch was definitely not on his radar.

He looked at her and smiled sadly, "I saw you together when he left with Lucas earlier."

"How did you know?" she asked looking out into the darkness, unable to bring herself to meet his gaze.

"So he is mine. I saw his eyes," he said quietly.

"Oh," was all the reply that she could muster.

"Oh?! That's all you have to say to me?!" he demanded.

"What do you want me to say Nathan? What could I possibly say that could make this any better?" she cried desperately. She honestly had no idea where to even begin.

"How about you start with the part where you decided that you were going to keep my son away from me? Or how about the part where you decided you didn't trust in 'us' enough to stay?" he asked, trying to keep his anger in check.

"Oh, Nathan. I've made such a mess of things. I never meant for you to find out this way," Haley said, her voice quivering. She bit her lip to stop the onslaught of tears that were welling up in her eyes.

"You mean you never meant for me to find out at all," he replied coldly. He turned to face away from her. He was not going to let the sight of her crying affect him, like it usually did.

"That's not true! I was going to tell you. It's why I came back," she protested

Nathan forced himself to turn and look at her. Still refusing to meet his gaze, he placed his fingers under her chin and gently lifted turned her face so that their eyes met.

"Why, Haley? Why did you leave me? Why didn't you love me enough to stay?" he whispered, his voice heavy with emotion.

"Nathan, I saw you with that woman with my own two eyes! What did you expect me to do? Welcome you home with open arms and kiss on the cheek?" she asked him, a twinge of bitterness in her tone.

"I expected you to have enough faith in me, in us, to at least let me explain myself," he said plainly.

"What would have there been to explain? I'm pretty sure I know how kissing works," she said with heavy sarcasm.

"That kiss was nothing! It meant _nothing_! You may have seen her kiss me, but you didn't see me push her away. You didn't hear me yell at her that I was married and in love with _my wife_," he insisted, the desperation apparent in his eyes.

"A kiss always means something, Nathan. If it meant nothing then why did you let her kiss you and then keep on kissing you?" she asked softly.

"I understand that there is probably nothing I can say to make you see how things really happened that night, but if you had stayed, I would have fought for you to believe in us again. I would have fought for you Haley," his voice so low she barely heard him; the conviction in his tone sent chills down her spine.

"I wasn't strong enough to let you fight for me. I had Jamie to think about. It wasn't just about me anymore. I couldn't take that risk that you would just end up hurting me more. Jamie would have been the one to suffer the most," she admitted sadly.

"So why come back now? You were perfectly fine to let six years go by without a word," he asked.

"I did it for Jamie. He misses you. He doesn't deserve to be punished because his parents are fools," she said with a sardonic laugh.

"He knows about me? How? What have you told him?" he asked suspiciously, his eyes narrowing.

"Come off it, Nathan. I may hate you, but I'm not that vindictive to feed your child lies about you. He knows everything about you. He looks at the pictures, he watches your games," she replied defensively. He flinched slightly when she said that she hated him.

"He doesn't think that I don't-" he had to take a breath. The thought that his son might believe that his daddy didn't want him was almost too much to bear. "He doesn't think that I don't want him, does he?"

"Jesus Nathan, what kind of mother do you take me for?! I would never tell my child that he wasn't wanted," she retorted

"Just because you don't say it, doesn't mean that he doesn't think it. God, I don't even know his name," he replied softly surprising even Haley at his insightfulness.

"His name is James Lucas Scott. He knows that you love him, just like he loves you," Haley said tenderly, her demeanor softening, "he's only six Nathan. He doesn't quite understand why you don't live with us. That is why I came back now. He doesn't understand now, but he will someday, and I don't want this to end up as a Dan Scott Sequel." He picked up her hand and gently squeezed it as a small gesture of agreement. Haley could only offer a small smile as the threat of tears prohibited her from speaking. They both still had a lot to work out, but at least finally; being able to agree on something was a start. They sat in silence for several moments not wanting to disturb the delicate balance of peace that had fallen over them.

And then as if on cue, fate stepped in.

"Did Lucas know?" Nathan asked suddenly, his surroundings reminding him why he was there in the first place.

"Did Lucas know what?" she asked confused.

"Did Lucas know about Jamie?" he clarified.

"Well of course, he had to know about him since he's babysitting tonight. Speaking of babysitting, I wonder where they are. He didn't say anything about going anywhere," she rambled hoping to distract Nathan.

"That's not what I meant and you know it. Quit stalling, and tell me the truth. How long has Lucas known about Jamie," he said his voice so low that it scared her.

"Nathan, you have to understand that when I left, I was so scared. I was alone in a new town, I didn't have anybody-"

"Dammit, Haley, just spit it out. How long has Lucas known about Jamie?" he repeated, his frustration growing by the second.

"Nathan, I'm begging you, please don't do this-" she pleaded with him.

"HOW LONG HALEY?" he shouted.

"He's known the entire time. He helped me during the pregnancy, and he was there with me when Jamie was born," she told him closing her eyes, waiting for the shouting to begin.

Her words hit him like a splash of cold water. His jaw and hands clenched simultaneously, his rage soaring to new heights. He had never felt so betrayed in his entire life. Not only had his so-called wife kept abandoned him and kept their son a secret, his very own brother had helped her do it. His world was rapidly spinning out of control. He had to get away from there, from her before he did or said something that they would both regret. Without a word in return, he turned and started to make his way back to his car with Haley on his heels.

"Nathan, say something!" she begged of him as she reached out for his arm to stop him. "Don't walk away; we need to talk about this!"

He stopped short and whipped around glaring at her, the venom pouring right out of his eyes. "_You're_ telling me not to walk away? That's funny coming from you. I thought that's what you were good at."

"Don't go, we can get through this. I know you're angry-"

"Angry? Angry doesn't even begin to describe what I'm feeling right now! I can't do this with you right now, not if I don't want to end up saying something that I will regret later," he said through clenched teeth.

He was about to reach his car when a voice called out, "DADDY!"


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks to everyone who are reading and reviewing! I really do appreciate it!

**I don't own anything.**

**Chapter 5:**

Nathan turned to see Lucas, Lindsey, and Jamie walking up from the opposite direction, Jamie holding hands with both adults. He watched as Jamie broke out of their grasps and began to run towards him. Nathan waited until Jamie was close enough and scooped him up in his arms. He couldn't describe the feeling that washed over him as he held Jamie. But he knew that he had felt it before, with only one other person. Haley. When he was younger, he could never quite understand what he was feeling when he had Haley in his arms, but as their relationship grew, he realized that it was more than just love. Having Haley in his arms had felt like he was home, that he wasn't meant to be anywhere else in the world but holding her. He now had that same feeling with his son. This is what had been missing from his life for the past six years.

"Daddy, I'm so glad to see you! I've missed you so much. Mommy said you were busy working," Jamie said burying his face into Nathan's neck.

"I've missed you too, buddy," Nathan responded with his eyes closed, drawing the little boy closer to him, a blanket of warmth washing over him. And then as quickly as it had come, the warmth was gone. He opened his eyes, and saw that Haley had taken the boy from him.

"Momma, look, it's Daddy!" Jamie said happily.

"I see that Jimmy Jam. Hey, can you do Momma a favor? Daddy, Momma, and Uncle Lucas have some talking to do, can you go inside and play with Aunt Lindsey for a little while?" Haley asked her son.

"Aww, but I want to stay with Daddy," he protested, not taking his eyes off of Nathan.

"I promise that you can spend all the time you want with daddy that you want, but after I talk to him with Uncle Lucas."

"C'mon Jimmy Jam, there's a game of Candy Land calling our name," Lindsey called out as she held her hand out for Jamie to take, and they headed into the house. Haley gave Lindsey a look of thanks before they headed in.

When the door had shut firmly behind the pair, Nathan turned to face Haley and Lucas, who had anchored himself protectively to Haley's side. But as it would turn out, Lucas would be the one needing protection. Before anyone could say anything, Nathan pulled his fist back and connected with Lucas's jaw sending him flying to the ground.

"NATHAN!" Haley shouted as she bent down to help Lucas up.

"You son of a bitch! You were my brother! You watched me live in misery for six fucking years!" he bellowed, the venom dripping from his voice.

"She needed me Nathan. She had no one else." He stood rubbing his aching jaw.

"She had _me_!_ I _should have been there the entire time! _I_ should have been there when he was born, not you!" he heaved out.

"It was what she wanted," Lucas said quietly.

"It was what she wanted. What about what _I_ wanted?" Nathan countered.

"Nathan, Lucas was just being a good friend. I asked him for his help, and he gave it," Haley tried to explain in an attempt to calm down the raging man.

"He was being a good friend? What about being a good brother?"

"Nathan, look man, I know that angry and hurt probably doesn't even begin to describe what you're feeling, but -"

"Don't even pretend that you give a rat's ass about how I'm feeling. I think the past six years have just proven otherwise. Let's get one thing straight. You and me? We're done. As far as I'm concerned, I don't have a brother." And then he turned his sights to Haley "And you, just make sure you have a good lawyer." He turned to stalk to his car, not giving them a chance to respond and sped off into the night.

Haley threw herself into Lucas's arms, sobbing. "Oh my god, he's going to take Jamie away from me! I can't lose him, Luke. He's all I have!"

"Shh, you won't lose him. Nathan's just very angry right now. That was his anger talking, Just give him some time to cool off. You guys will work this out," he said soothingly.

"Lucas, I am so sorry! I never imagined that this would tear you two apart. Now I've ruined your life too!" she wailed.

"Hales, I told you. I was prepared to deal with the consequences the second I agreed to help you. Did you honestly think that the truth would never come out? There is no one person to blame for all of this. It was all just a misunderstanding of epic proportions," he assured her.

"Misunderstanding? I don't follow…" she looked at him confused.

"He didn't cheat on you Hales. The night of your anniversary, when I found him at the docks, he told me what happened that night. If you had stuck it out for a few more seconds, you would have seen that he sent her packing."

"And you believed him?" she asked unconvinced.

"I do. I know Nathan, I can tell when he's lying. He wasn't lying," Lucas insisted

"Oh god, Luke. Nothing is working out the way it was supposed to. I've made such a terrible mess of things. And now he hates me," she said miserably.

"He doesn't hate you. He loves you. If he didn't love you, he wouldn't have been this angry. Everything will be okay. You'll see. "

"I hope you're right Luke. I hope you're right."

________________________________________________________________________

Nathan pulled into the garage of his beach house and shut the car off while the garage door closed behind him. Sitting in the darkness, he laid his head across his hands on the steering wheel and closed his eyes, grateful for the silence. The night had been a complete and utter disaster. He'd been over the moon at the prospect of being able to talk with Haley and maybe having a chance at starting over. No way in hell would he have ever thought in his wildest dreams that he would have ended the night with a son and a disowned brother. In the span of an hour, he had felt every emotion humanly possible pass through his body and it was physically draining. He wasn't even sure if he had it in him to be angry anymore. He wanted to be angry. He had lost six years of his son's life, his brother had been lying to him and playing daddy to his kid, wasn't that enough for a lifetime of anger? So why was it that the only emotion he had left in him was sadness? His head shot up at the realization of his son. Jamie. He had just left without saying good-bye. He slammed his hands against the steering wheel as the frustration set in. He had to get out of there; he wouldn't be able to stand the confines of his house. Not even a father for two hours and he was already screwing up. He needed to regroup. There was only one place that could provide the comfort and solace that he sought.

The rivercourt was empty, providing Nathan with the necessary solitude that would help alleviate the crushing weight of the night's events. The constant thumping of the ball hitting the ground eased the swirl of emotions that radiated inside his head. He became so engrossed in his game that he did not hear the soft gasp that came behind him. When the ball had fallen through the hoop, and he turned to retrieve it is when he finally saw her. He noticed her tell tale signs of nervousness as she chewed on her lower lip and twirled the gold ring on her pinky finger.

"Hey," she said softly.

"Hey," he replied back, his tone equally calm, but cold. They stood there staring at each other for a few moments, both desperately hoping that the awkwardness would pass.

"I was out for a walk."

"Is Jamie okay?"

They both started at the same time and then laughed. Haley motioned for Nathan to continue. "Is Jamie okay? I kind of just left without saying goodbye."

"He's fine. Lucas," she noticed his jaw clenching at the mention of Lucas's name," and Lindsey wore him out with their water balloon fight earlier, so he was out cold by the time I got back inside. I'll get him in the morning. I'm sure he'll have plenty to say. But I had to get out for awhile. So I was just started walking around town, and just ended up here. Funny, how I always seem to end up here. If you want to be alone, I'll leave. It's not a problem," she rambled as she turned to leave when he didn't say anything.

"Wait, Haley. You don't have to go. Look, even though I am beyond angry right now, I do think that we need to be able to get everything out on the table without it turning into a blow out every time. So, let's just talk," he said with a calm coolness that almost frightened her. Haley could only stare in amazement. This was not the Nathan Scott that she remembered. Nathan had always had a terrible temper and when he lost it, it would be hours before anyone could approach him for any type of civil conversation.

"Is it true?" she asked quietly, looking down at her hands that were wringing around themselves.

"Is what true?" he asked with a confused expression crossing his face.

"Lucas said that you never cheated. Is that true?" she repeated with slight hesitation. She wasn't sure if she was ready to hear the truth if it was different than what Lucas had said.

"I swear it's the truth. I could never do that to you," he insisted with great sincerity etched in his voice.

"Tell me what happened." The words were so simple, but to Haley it meant so much more. Allowing Nathan to explain what had happened would mean that she would have to accept whatever truth came out and its consequences.

"After the game, coach had me in his office talking for a long while. So by the time we were done, I was the only one left to shower. And I'm guessing she snuck in and waited for me. The next thing I know she's got herself wrapped around me and kissing me. She took me by surprise, so it took a few seconds for to react and push her away. Nothing ever happened with her," his face twisting in disgust at having to recall the details of that fateful night.

"God, Nathan, I don't know what to say! Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to see you with her like that?" Haley cried.

"I know how it must have looked to you. Tell me you believe me. If nothing else, I need you to believe that I didn't break my vow to you. I meant it when I promised you always and forever Hales," he pleaded with her on the verge of dropping to his knees and begging.

Haley searched into Nathan's eyes and she saw truth. "I believe you. Thank you for telling me the truth." It felt as if a great weight had been lifted from them. They had no idea what the future would hold for them, but for now, they could at least begin to put the past behind the. And for Nathan Scott, the darkness that had shadowed his heart for the past six years had begun to lift.

"Thank you for believing me," he replied gratefully.

"Were you serious before?" she asked suddenly, his words from before running through her head.

"Serious about what?" he asked unsure of what her question meant.

"About me having a good lawyer. You're not going to try and take him away from me are you?"

"I was angry Haley. I said things that I didn't mean. It was a rotten thing to threaten you with. I would never try and take Jamie away from you. You have to promise that you won't run away anymore. I don't think that I could bear to lose the two of you again. But I promise that I will not try to take Jamie away from you," he assured her.

"I promise that no matter what happens with us, you will always be a part of his life. I was wrong to keep you and Jamie apart for so long. Lucas was the one that helped me realize that," Nathan scoffed at the notion. "Nathan, you can't blame Lucas. He wanted to tell you so many times, but I wouldn't let him. If you're looking for someone to blame, blame me," she said trying to redirect Nathan's anger for Lucas back onto her.

"The hell I can't blame Lucas. These past six years could have been avoided if he had just manned up and told me what happened. The one time he actually listens to you about not sticking his nose where it doesn't belong. All this time, we could have been the family we always dreamed about Haley. He took that away from us!" He cried with despair, the grief of a lost family apparent in his beautiful blue eyes.

"No, Nathan. _I _took that away from us. Not Lucas, not you. Me. I was hurt and too scared of getting hurt even more than I already was," Haley insisted with desperation, wincing at the hurt that still consumed them both.

"So where does that leave us?" he asked, his gaze fixed on her quiet and intense.

"There hasn't been an 'us' for six years Nathan. You can't honestly believe that we can just pick up where we left off? You have a life that doesn't include 'us'. As do I. We both lead very different lives. I've seen how _different_ your life is now," she said, emphasizing the word different with great animosity.

"So you've been keeping track of me?" he smirked.

"Of course not, I see them when I'm at the grocery store," she replied haughtily

"Whatever you say, Hales." His still smirking face almost taunting her. Always with that stupid smirk. She had to change the subject and fast or she would find herself spellbound under Nathan's charms once again.

"I think we need to focus on Jamie and getting him used to being with and around you. And then when we go back, we can concentrate on working out a visitation schedule," she finally sputtered out.

"Wait, what? You're leaving again? You just promised that you wouldn't run away again," he felt his anger rising again. He just got them back and now they were leaving again. She hadn't even told him where they were going back to.

"Nathan, I have a life back home. I need to get back to it eventually," she reminded him.

"Tree Hill is your home," he mumbled.

"Tree Hill hasn't been my home for a very long time," she pointed out gently.

"It could be again."

There was great meaning behind his words, and he knew that he was taking a huge leap of faith by putting it out there for her. He was still incredibly angry about Jamie, but underneath it all, he still loved and wanted her. He had lived too long without her to let any opportunity to be with her pass him by. They were now standing mere inches away from each other, subconsciously moving towards one another as their conversation had progressed. Nathan held his gaze directly into Haley's as his arm took on a life of it's own and wrapped itself around Haley's small waist, drawing her flush against his body. Haley could feel her heart threatening to pound itself right out of her chest as she allowed herself to be pulled into Nathan's embrace, her arms instinctively wrapping around his neck as she rested her cheek against his chest. She closed her eyes as she inhaled the familiar scent of his aftershave mixed with his cologne. His rested his chin on the top of her head, breathing in her strawberry scented shampoo that he knew so well. And for a brief moment, time stood still and the events of the past six years non-existent. He heard her let out a sigh of contentment and he reluctantly pulled away slightly to look at her face.

"Haley, look at me," he demanded softly, but she continued to keep her eyes closed. He needed to see her eyes. He needed to see if she was feeling the same want and desire that he was feeling.

"Look at me," he repeated a little more forcefully. She finally opened her eyes and looked up at him and it was a jolt back to reality. How could she have been so careless, she mentally berated herself. The last thing she needed was to get caught up in Nathan Scott again. She wasn't quite sure what exactly was holding her back. She really had believed him when he had explained that what she witnessed in the shower was just a mistake, but she just couldn't bring herself to open her heart to him again. She had loved him to an excruciating degree and been utterly devastated in the following months after leaving. Being pregnant and wanting to make sure the baby was healthy was the only thing that got her through that difficult time. She had decided that she wasn't ever going to give her heart completely to anyone or lose herself like that ever again. Especially now with Jamie to think of, she couldn't ever risk getting hurt like that again. It would have been a perfect plan, if her heart was still hers to give.

His heart deflated as he could see the hesitancy creep into her eyes. She was about to pull away. He knew that look well. She was about to spout off a thousand reasons why she couldn't give him what he wanted. She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off.

"Save it Haley. If all you're going to give me is a bunch of bullshit about why we can't get back what we used to have, I don't want to hear it," he told her forcefully. Haley was left with her mouth hanging open. She had forgotten how well Nathan could read her, it was really quite unnerving.

"Nathan," she began, "I just don't think now is the best time to go down that road. We have to-"

"-To think about Jamie," he finished for her as he closed the distance between them that had been created when they had come out of their reverie. He brought his hands up to her face, cupping her face as his thumbs gently caressed her cheeks. She could only nod, as she was sure that her voice would betray her waning resolve, his touch was becoming too much for her to bear. His eyes lowered to her plump lips that were currently caught between her teeth. He wondered if her lips would still have the same cherry taste to them. He had to find out. Nathan's thumb moved from grazing her cheek to her lower lip as if to free them from her biting on it. The jolts of electricity coursing between them as skin met skin. He lowered his head towards hers anticipating the softness that he had been dreaming about for six years.

Haley's senses finally coming back to her, realized with horror that Nathan was about to kiss her. She knew if that happened, all bets were off and she was surely to do something stupid. She had to act fast. Just as his lips were about to meet hers, she turned her head so that his lips were met with her cheek, and she quickly stepped away.

"I'm sorry, but I can't. Jamie will want to see you tomorrow, so come by Taylor's around 2 and you can have the afternoon with him," she rushed out and practically ran from the rivercourt.

Nathan looked after her retreating figure with longing. He turned to walk back towards his car but not before a smirk played across his face. It might have been small, but he had seen a spark in Haley's eyes right as he was about to kiss her. She still felt it, just like he did. She was fighting it like hell and he definitely had his work cut out for him, but he was determined to get her back. They would work through all the anger and pain, and they were going to be a family.

________________________________________________________________________

"You kissed him?!" Lindsey squealed as Haley relayed the previous night's events when she had arrived to pick up Jamie. Jamie and Lucas had gone out to pick up breakfast and Lindsey had seized the opportunity pull Haley in for some girl talk. Lucas had filled her in on what had happened right after she had taken Jamie inside, but that was from a guy's perspective, which meant she had gotten the bare minimum in terms of details. She wanted to make sure that Haley was alright, the last thing Lucas had told her was that Nathan had told her to get a good lawyer, and knowing Haley, she was certain to freak and maybe, god forbid, run away again. She practically fell over when Haley told her that she had run into Nathan at the rivercourt, and was now in the process of squeezing every last juicy detail out of Haley.

Lindsey had been a lifeline for Haley when they had first met. She had only begun to move on without Nathan, and Lindsey had been the friend that she so desperately needed since she no longer had Brooke or Peyton to confide in. They had both signed up for the same freshman elective seminar and ended up sitting next to each other snickering together at the eccentricities of the wild haired, unkempt professor. Lindsey had been impressed with the petite girl who seemed to be keeping it together despite being a new single mother and having to put herself through school. It was only natural that they would have ended up roommates. Lindsey had been dying to live off campus and Haley appreciated having someone to split the rent with. She remembered how shocked she was when Haley had been forced to tell her the truth about her past and that her name really wasn't Gwen Scott.

_Flashback…_

_Lindsey looked down at Jamie's sleeping figure and breathed a sigh of relief. He had been extremely fussy ever since Gwen had left an hour ago to run some errands. Her arms felt like lead after holding him and walking around in circles hoping to calm him down. She flopped down onto the couch and let out a heavy breath, there was no way she could concentrate on her Biology reading now, so she opted for mindless reality television. Ten minutes into the program, a loud shrill sounded from the small kitchen. Lindsey jumped up from the couch and dashed towards the offending noise praying that it wouldn't disturb the baby. She located the noise, it was Gwen's cell phone, she must have forgotten it. Luckily, the ringing had stopped and Jamie was still sleeping peacefully. It started ringing again and then came the crying. Cursing, she flipped open the phone ready to chew out the person on the other end, as she walked over to pick Jamie up out of the crib to comfort him, but the voice beat her to it._

"_Haley! Are you there? Hello?! HALEY!" came a deep frantic voice. Haley? Who the hell was Haley?_

"_Who is this?"_

"_Oh. You're not Haley."_

"_Gee, nothing gets past you. Who is Haley? I think you have the wrong number."_

"_Yeah, yeah wrong number. So sorry to bother." And with that, the caller hung up. _

_Lindsey shaking her head at the absurdity of it all was about to close the phone when she noticed the caller ID. Lucas. That's strange, she thought, why would someone in Gwen's contact list pretend to be a wrong number and why the hell are they calling her Haley? Lindsey was beside herself waiting for Gwen/Haley to return home, and practically attacked her when she walked through the door._

"_Gwen Scott! Who is Lucas and why was he calling you Haley?" she blurted out rapidly and then blushed sheepishly. She had hoped to keep her wits about her, but her curiosity had gotten the better of her._

_Haley, startled at the outburst, nearly dropped the grocery bags that she was holding. She hadn't heard the whole thing, but she had heard "Lucas" and "Haley" and she knew that that was not a good sign. _

"_Well?" Lindsey asked impatiently tapping her foot as she crossed her arms, looking at Haley with a raised eyebrow._

"_Okay, okay, let me get the bags up off the floor first. Is Jamie okay? Was he fussy at all?" she asked hoping to change the subject._

"_Jamie's sleeping like a dead person, just like his mother. Don't try and change the subject with me, missy. What the hell is going on?" she scolded with her hands on her hips. Haley sighed and went to sit on the couch. She knew this day would come, but she figured it would be on her own terms. Lindsey watched as Haley went to sit on the couch, but she remained planted to where she was standing._

"_You might want come and sit down for this," Haley suggested to her friend. She waited until Lindsey was situated on the couch next to her. _

"_How did you find out about Lucas?"_

"_I had just gotten Jamie to sleep and your cell kept ringing. When I answered, this guy was yelling for 'Haley'. When I asked who Haley was, he said that I wasn't Haley and then said that he had the wrong number. But when I went to close your phone, I saw that the caller ID was someone named Lucas," she explained hurriedly, she was more interested in what Gwen/Haley could possibly have to say to explain this turn of events. Haley mentally slapped herself, how could she have been so careless?!_

_An hour later, Lindsey sat dazed as Haley had finished telling her about she had been married, but had gotten divorced, even though she was pregnant, because she caught her ex cheating on her while he had been at a basketball camp. She had listened with fascination as Haley detailed the steps that she took to make sure that no one would be able to find her, which included the name change from Haley James to Gwen Scott. Haley also told her that her best friend from Tree Hill was the Lucas from the phone and was the only one from Tree Hill that knew where she was. She had explained with a tone of extreme gratefulness how he had been the one to help her when she was pregnant and had been there for Jamie's birth._

_When Lindsey hadn't responded for several moments, Haley looked at her nervously. "I know you're probably really mad that I lied to you about everything. I wouldn't blame if you wanted to move out or if you wanted Jamie and me to leave." Lindsey's head was so clouded with the million questions that she had for Haley that she hadn't even heard her. Haley finally got her attention back by snapping her fingers in front of her face._

"_Huh, what?" she said absently._

"_I just said that I wouldn't blame you for being angry with me for lying to and if you want to move or Jamie and me to move, then I wouldn't blame you either," Haley repeated._

"_What?! Of course not, Gw-er Haley. Wow, that's going to take some getting used to. I can call you Haley right? I wouldn't be messing anything up for you? I'm shocked, to say the least, but I'm not mad. You had your reasons for doing what you did, who am I to judge? You won't have to worry about me, I will never tell," Lindsey told her _

_Haley let out a laugh in relief. She was realizing how special Lindsey was and how lucky she and Jamie were to have her in their lives. She was almost glad that Lindsey finally knew the truth, now Lucas could come and visit and it wouldn't have to be a secret. She knew she could trust her to keep her secrets._

"_Yes, you can call me Haley, Lucas still does. He refused to call me anything else, so I made Haley my middle name," she explained, chuckling at the memory of the ridiculous argument they had gotten into over it. "Lindsey, thank you for being so understanding. Not many people would. Jamie and I are so lucky to have you in our lives. I don't think I could have ever survived this last semester without you," Haley said with great sincerity in her voice. Lindsey could only smile and nod in return; she wasn't usually one for great displays of emotion._

"_So tell me more about this Lucas. He sounded totally cute!" Lindsey said with a sly wink. Haley laughed out loud, it was no wonder that she loved her so much; it was like having Brooke and Peyton all rolled into one person._

_Months later when Lucas had come to visit, the sparks had immediately flown. Although it took them awhile to admit to each other their mutual attraction, it was hysterical from Haley's perspective to watch their song and dance. Haley couldn't have been happier when her two best friends in the world had finally dug their heads out of their asses and found happiness with each other. They had managed a long distance relationship until Lucas had convinced Lindsey to move to Tree Hill with him. She had been extremely hesitant to leave Haley and Jamie all by themselves, but by that time, Haley had established herself as a teacher and no longer needed to depend on her as much as before. So with blessings around, Lindsey left Virginia for Tree Hill._

_Lindsey had been true to her word in that she had never breathed a word about Haley and Jamie. It had gotten a little more difficult after moving to Tree Hill and running into the people that Haley had known. Brooke, thankfully, did not live in Tree Hill, so she didn't have to work too hard to not slip in front of her. Peyton was the easiest to be around since she always avoided the subject of Haley. She felt horrible that she was helping Haley and Lucas keep this big secret from their friends, but in the end, her loyalties would always be for her before anyone else. If this was the way she wanted it, then that's how it was going to be. The first time she had met Nathan, she was sure that he thought that she was a mental case. She had barely looked at him or spoke except to answer his questions and even then it was one-word answers. She couldn't help it, she hadn't had the years of practice that Lucas had in pretending that Nathan wasn't a cheating, sorry bastard. He was lucky enough that she hadn't decked him like she had wanted to originally. As the years passed, her resolve that Nathan was in the total wrong had begun to lessen. She watched him pine away for Haley, and she always thought that a man that had cheated would never act the way he acted. She, of course, would never say that to Haley. The only time that she ever wavered on protecting Haley was when it came to Jamie. As much as what Nathan had done was total shit, he deserved to know about the boy. No matter how much she and Lucas would double-team her about coming clean with Nathan, she wouldn't ever change her mind._

_End Flashback…_

"No! I said we almost kissed, until I freaked out like a baby and ran away," Haley groaned as she buried her face in her hands. "How could he even think about kissing me? Has he lost his mind? One minute he's threatening me with lawyers and the next he wants to kiss me? Talk about a complete one-eighty! I think I liked it better when he was yelling at me. And don't get me started on him punching Lucas. I have a feeling that he's not going to be too thrilled with you either," she said shooting a look of apology to her friend who was currently sitting across from her with a big grin on her face. When Haley had finished recounting her run in with Nathan, of all the things to comment on, Lindsey had latched onto the fact that they had almost kissed, and now she wouldn't talk about anything else. But now she just sat there with that stupid grin plastered to her face.

"Why are you grinning like that?" Haley asked with a slight snarl, she knew she wasn't going to like what she was about to hear.

"Because you wanted to kiss him?" Lindsey asked with exaggerated innocence.

"Are you insane? Didn't you just hear me? I just said that I'd rather him be yelling at me!" she yelled in response, reaching her arm out to swat Lindsey on the arm.

"Yeah, I heard you. And what I heard was what you weren't saying. You wanted to kiss him, Hales, and you know it," Lindsey insisted. She knew Haley well enough to know that love or not, Nathan Scott could make Haley weak in the knees with just one look, lord knows what he did to her when he wanted to kiss her.

"That made absolutely no sense! Why in the world would I ever want to kiss him?" Haley blew out returning to her original argument.

"Because he's hot, he wants to kiss you too, and because you love him,"

Lindsey pointed out easily.

"What?! How on earth did you get 'I love him' from 'I'd rather him be yelling at me?" Haley wondered incredulously.

"Haley, it's so freaking obvious. Hell, I knew you still loved him back when we lived together in Virginia," Lindsey replied laughing at the look of absolute horror that flashed across Haley's face.

"I don't lo-" the adamant denial already leaving her mouth.

"Don't lie to me Haley James Scott! If you don't love him, then why do you still carry his picture in your wallet that you think nobody knows about. If you don't love him, then why haven't you gone on a date in six years? If you don't love-" Lindsey rattled on

"Okay! I get the idea," Haley blew out, agitated at Lindsey's insistence that she still loved Nathan. It was too late to go back there again, wasn't it?

"That's all you have to say?"

"What am I supposed to say? Why don't you just write a script out for me, since you and Nathan both seem to think that all of my responses are not correct," Haley retorted.

"You're supposed to say: 'Yes, Lindsey, I love him with my entire being, and I want to be a family again with him and Jamie," Lindsey recited in her best Haley voice.

"No way are those words ever going to come out of my mouth," Haley replied petulantly as she crossed her arms over her chest with a huff.

"Why are you always so stubborn?!" Lindsey growled with frustration.

Before Haley could respond, Jamie and Lucas walked into the house carrying several bags of food.

"Momma! Aunt Karen gave us lots of good food!" Jamie said happily greeting his mother with a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"I bet she did kiddo. Did you have a good time with Uncle Lucas and Aunt Lindsey last night?" she asked grateful for a reprieve from Lindsey's third degree questioning.

"Uh huh! Uncle Lucas took us to the top of Aunt Karen's café and we had a water balloon fight, just like he promised. And I did just like you said! He said he wanted a truce, and I didn't believe him, and I got him real good!" He rambled as he eyed an open danish hungrily. All three adults laughed at the story that the little boy weaved.

"Yeah, thanks for giving away all my secrets, Hales," Lucas said with a laugh.

"Like it's some huge secret! You were always so obvious. You ask for a truce, yet you're holding two huge balloons?" Haley laughed hysterically.

"Momma, where's Daddy?" The little boy's question sucking all the air out of the room.

"Daddy is at his house, buddy," she said gently.

"Oh." The disappointment evident on his face.

"But, how would you like to spend the afternoon with your dad?" she asked, hating seeing her son upset.

"Really?!" Jamie perked up at the thought.

"Really! He's going to come by Aunt Taylor's house in a few hours to pick you up, and then you can spend the whole day doing whatever you want! So hurry up and finish eating so we can get back. You're going to need a nap before your big afternoon," she told him.

"Okay, Momma!" Jamie shoveled the rest of his danish into his mouth and scampered off to get his backpack together.

"You've done a good thing, Haley James. Jamie is so happy. All he could talk about was how he got to see his dad last night. If seeing him for 30 seconds could do that, think of what it will be like for him to have Nathan around all the time," Lucas told her as he put an arm around her should in comfort.

"And don't forget about how happy Haley could be," Lindsey started wickedly.

"What?" Lucas asked with a confused look on his face.

"Nothing, she meant nothing," Haley retorted shooting daggers at Lindsey with her eyes.

"Nothing my ass. Nathan almost kissed her last night, and she wanted him to, but she chickened out, and she loves him, but she doesn't want to admit it," Lindsey got out before Haley could stop her.

"Lindsey! For crying out loud!" Haley hissed, her face turning a deep shade of red.

"Lindsey, maybe now isn't exactly the best time…" he stopped when he saw Lindsey's eyes boring into his face.

"No, I think now is exactly the perfect time. Nathan told her that nothing happened with that cheerleader girl, Haley still loves Nathan, Nathan still loves Haley, so what is the freaking problem?" she insisted.

Haley looked at Lucas pleadingly, silently begging him to shut Lindsey up. He turned to Lindsey, and she too was giving him a pointed look that dared him to try and stop her. He started to panic, he always hated being stuck in the middle. His eyes shifted between each woman and he started to cough.

"Uh..cough, cough… I think I hear Jamie calling. I'll go see if he needs some help," he said weakly as he moved to leave the kitchen.

"Lucas Eugene Scott! You move one inch and you will regret it for the rest of your life! You can't fake cough yourself out of this one," Haley threatened with a low voice. He saw the look in her eyes, and he knew she was serious. He sighed and sank heavily onto the nearest kitchen stool.

"Linds, I don't think that now is the best time to be grilling Haley on her love or lack of love for Nathan." Haley stuck her tongue out at Lindsey childishly at the small victory, but it would be short lived. "And Haley, sooner or later, you're going to have to deal with your feelings for Nathan, especially now that he knows about Jamie. Like it or not, you two or going to be in each other's lives for forever," he added before Haley broke out the victory dance. And before he could get caught in another crossfire, he scurried out of the room towards where Jamie was. He couldn't get into any trouble hanging out with him.

"Ha!" Lindsey retorted. Haley just rolled her eyes. This was going to be a long day.

Just as Haley was about to launch back into her diatribe about not wanting to dive back into a relationship with Nathan, there was a loud cough from the kitchen door. Both Lindsey and Haley whipped their heads around to see who had barged in on their conversation. Haley froze when all she could focus on was the familiar smirk that she knew so well.


	6. Chapter 6

Thanks to everyone for all the reviews, I really do appreciate them.

**I own nothing except the storyline.**

**Chapter 6:**

Of all the places for Nathan Scott to show up, Lucas's house was the least likely, Haley thought to herself. Oh my god, had he heard Lindsey's dramatics about her still loving him? Surely, the universe didn't hate her that much? Haley shot a glance over at Lindsey, who seemed to be just as shell shocked as Haley at Nathan's presence. For the first time in all the years that Haley had known Lindsey, this was the first time that she had ever seen the girl speechless. The girls' lack of speech only seemed to fuel Nathan's ego and his smirk grew even wider, if that was even possible. He watched with amusement at the two women staring each other, willing the other one to speak first.

"Nathan, what are you doing here?" Haley finally asked as Lindsey smiled and crossed her arms in victory.

"That question seems to be getting asked a lot these days. Can I come in?" He looked sheepishly at Lindsey. He knew that she knew about what he had said to Lucas last night.

"Of course, Nathan, don't be silly," she replied, waving him into the kitchen.

He moved from his perch against the doorjamb to the stool that Lucas had just left vacant. Haley stared at Nathan's backside and couldn't help but let her eyes roam up and down the back of him. His shirt and jeans both had just the right amount of tightness to show off his well toned back and butt. Lindsey rolled her eyes at Haley; she was going to need a napkin soon to wipe up the drool that was soon to be coming out of Haley's mouth. When Nathan turned back towards to the two women, Lindsey quickly nudged Haley out of her fantasy.

"You didn't answer my question, what are you doing here?" Haley repeated, leaning over the counter to grab another bagel. Nathan happened to glance over Haley reaching, her shirt lifted up and what he saw made his mouth go completely dry. She hadn't gotten rid of it after all these years. Who knew that the sight of two little blue numbers etched on her bare skin would still have the same effect on him as it did the first time he saw them. It was a great source of pride for him to know that in a sense that that tattoo was Haley's way of letting the world know that she belonged to him and only him. He smirked as he thought about her having to explain to any other man the significance of it. He knew she would make up some lie, but deep down she would know the truth, and it would be a constant reminder of what they had shared. His smirk quickly turned into a frown as he realized that Haley would have to have been with another man in order for that scenario to work. She would have to have been with another man and naked. He felt sick at the thought. God, what was she doing to him?

Lindsey herself thought she was going to be sick. She watched as Nathan stared shamelessly at Haley's tattoo. And even a blind person could see what thoughts were exactly running through his head. As with Haley, she had had to nudge Nathan to get him to respond to Haley's question before she noticed that he was thinking naughty thoughts about her.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I went over to Taylor's to see if I could go ahead and pick Jamie up, but she said that you were over here. I didn't feel like going back to the beach house, so I just thought I would catch you before you left and take him from here," he managed to explain, his mind still very much on Haley's tattoo.

"Um, how long were you standing there?" Lindsey asked.

"Long enough," he told her, keeping his gaze fixed on Haley, with a slight twinkle in his eye. Truthfully, he hadn't heard that much. But they didn't need to know that, he reveled in the fact that for once, he was making them squirm instead of the other way around. He had opened the door right at the tail end of Lucas's speech. All he had heard was that they were going to be in each other's lives forever. It wasn't much, but it was something that had made his heart lift just a little. Haley had promised that she wouldn't run away again, and now he could see that there was a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel in terms of them all being a family again.

"What did you hear exactly? Tell us word-for-word what you heard" Lindsey demanded. Haley looked grateful at Lindsey's insistence that Nathan reveal all that he had heard, but if Haley had known Lindsey's reasoning she wouldn't have been so grateful. In all honesty, Lindsey had wanted Nathan to hear everything. If it forced Haley to confront and admit to whatever she was feeling, then Lindsey was all for it. She hated the way Haley was hiding and keeping herself so closed. She had been this way in Virginia, proclaiming that she was over Nathan Scott, but never opening herself to anyone new.

'Relax. I didn't hear anything, really." Now he was intrigued. What could they have been possibly talking about that would have both of them so tweaked.

"But you did hear something? So what was it?" Haley insisted.

"Geez, all I heard was Lucas spouting some nonsense about being in each other's lives for forever. I don't even know who he was talking about," he said with slight annoyance

Haley breathed a sigh of relief while Lindsey inwardly groaned; this was going to be a lot harder than she thought.

"Momma, I'm ready to go- Daddy!" Jamie screeched as he dropped his bag and ran straight to Nathan.

"Hey buddy. How about you and me spend the day together? We can do whatever you want to do," Nathan said as he bent down to scoop the boy up into his arms.

"Right now?" Jamie asked, a slow smile spreading across his face.

"Right now," Nathan confirmed.

"But Momma said I have to take a nap before I can go anywhere." Jamie said with a frown, and then looked pleadingly at his mother, a slight smirk tugging at his mouth. Even as young as he was, he knew exactly how to play his mother.

"It's okay Jimmy Jam, if you're not too tired now, you can go with your dad," Haley relented, a small chuckle escaping her. She knew that Jamie had already learned that his smirk was his best weapon in getting what he wanted out of her.

"I'm not too tired! Thanks, Momma!" Jamie jumped down from Nathan's arms and moved to give his mother a hug.

"Hey Jamster, you left your cape…" Lucas trailed off as he saw Nathan when he walked into the kitchen holding Jamie's beloved red cape from his Aunt Brooke. Jamie untangled himself from Haley and went over to where Lucas was standing. Lucas knelt down and tied the cape around Jamie's neck and gave a light pat on his back when he was finished.

"Thanks, Uncle Lucas! I had a really fun time with you and Aunt Lindsey last night!" Jamie said as he wrapped his little arms around Lucas's neck.

"I had fun too, buddy. But next time I ask for a truce, you better listen to me!" he said in mock sternness as Jamie giggled and held out his hand for their secret handshake.

Haley watched as Nathan's fists began clenching and unclenching in an attempt to calm the rising anger that threatened to spill over. Watching Lucas act so fatherly with his son was more than he could bear. He was watching the moments that he should have been living played out before his eyes with his brother and son. He should be the one having water balloon fights with his son. He should have his own special names for his son. He should be the one with the secret handshake. As the thoughts of what should have been came rushing through his head, Nathan found his anger and resent towards both Lucas and Haley rising to new levels. Haley saw the anger and the hurt that currently clouded his normally bright eyes and it broke her heart to know that she was the cause of it all. Instinctively, Haley placed her hand on Nathan's arm in both warning and comfort. She knew that Nathan was hurting, but she definitely did not want Jamie to see Lucas and Nathan arguing. He felt her hand make contact with his arm, and what normally would have been a very comforting gesture for him, now felt like he had been jolted with a bolt of electricity, and he jerked his arm away from her touch. He wasn't about to let his body betray him by clouding his judgment just because Haley was touching him. Haley felt her heart twist when Nathan moved from her hand, but she didn't blame him, he was going to be angry for a very long time, despite his attempt to kiss her the previous night.

"Hey Jimmy Jam, why don't you hand me your bag and then you can get going with your dad," she suggested hoping to distract Nathan from the outburst that was about to explode any second now.

"Daddy, can Uncle Lucas come with us too?" Jamie asked looking towards Nathan.

"Jamie, why don't you make today a Jamie and Daddy day? Maybe next time Uncle Lucas can hang out with you guys." Haley reasoned with him trying to avoid a disaster of epic proportions.

"Okay Momma. C'mon Daddy let's go!" Jamie grabbed a hold of Nathan's hand and practically dragged him towards the door.

"What time should I have him back?" Nathan asked through gritted teeth, trying to keep his temper in check.

"Oh, you can bring him back anytime. I'll be at Taylor's all night. He usually goes to bed around 9:30, but I have a feeling that he's not going to last until then, so just whenever he wears himself out. Oh, and here's my cell phone in case you have any trouble. He can be a handful if you're not used to him," she cringed at the words that had just come out her mouth. She sounded like she was instructing a new babysitter that didn't know what he was doing.

"If I'm not used to him. That's great Haley. And who's fault is it exactly that I wouldn't be used to my own son? Oh that's right, you and my so-called brother, and from what I can see, his girlfriend too. Tell me Haley. Is there anyone in this town that didn't know about Jamie?" Nathan spat out bitterly.

"Nathan, I know that you're angry right now--" Lucas started.

"Don't even start Luke. You have no idea what I'm feeling right now. Did it feel good, huh? Playing daddy to my kid when you knew how miserable I already was?" Nathan taunted, his anger rising.

"Nathan!" Lindsey hissed. "This isn't the time or place." Nathan turned his sights towards his brother's girlfriend and his supposed friend. She had been in on the whole charade too and had yet to incur any of his wrath. Just because she had been privy to Lucas's and Haley's secrets didn't mean she could stick her nose in where it clearly didn't belong. He was about to tell her to mind her own business when Jamie's voice called out from the yard.

"Daaadddyyy! Hurry up!" Jamie's voice floated through the open door.

"Okay, buddy. I'll be right there," he called back to Jamie, and then turned back to the trio in the kitchen, sending each one a withering look. "I'll let you know when we're on our way back to Taylor's." And he walked out, closing the door sharply behind him.

Haley buried her head into her hands and groaned. She knew Nathan had every right to his anger, and she deserved whatever he dished out, but she wasn't sure she could handle the Jekyll and Hyde that he seemed to become at the slightest agitation.

"He hates me! And why shouldn't he? I just hid the fact that he had a son for the past six years and made his brother lie to him. And now he hates you and Lindsey. This is all my fault. Oh my god, Brooke and Peyton. What are they going to do when they find out you knew everything?! What is he going to do when he finds out that they knew too?" she rambled on the verge of hyperventilating.

"Haley! Calm down. He doesn't hate you, Hales. And he doesn't hate me. He just thinks he does. He's just angry. And he's going to be angry for a very long time. And I expect that Brooke and Peyton will have their own anger to deal with. He just needs to work through it, and we'll be there to help him. All of us. He'll come around, you'll see. We'll all get through this," Lucas said confidently, putting an arm around her shoulders to calm her down.

"How can you be so sure?" she asked, the uncertainty apparent in her voice. He made it sound so easy.

"Because I have faith."

________________________________________________________________________

"Daddy, are you mad?" Jamie asked after they had left the house.

"No, Jamie, why would you ask that?" Nathan asked confused, not quite sure why his son would think he was angry.

"Because your hands are white and you're taking really deep breaths. Momma always does that when she gets really mad," Jamie explained easily.

Nathan released his death grip on the steering wheel that had caused his knuckles to turn white and stared into his son's eyes that were so like his own, and he felt an unbelievable amount of sadness pull at his heart. His six-year-old son was able to read him better than he could him. Haley's words earlier had shaken him to his very core. The way that she had made him sound like a complete stranger had unleashed anger in him that he didn't know he had. How could she sit there and speak like that when it was her fault that he was a stranger to their son? And now staring at his son, he felt a new emotion bubble up inside of him that he hadn't felt since he had escaped Dan Scott: inadequacy. He had no idea how to be a father, look at the shining example that had been set for him. Most men have nine months to prepare for impending fatherhood. He'd had less than 24 hours. But he was determined to start off on the right foot and not turn into a clone of Dan, he was going to do right by Jamie.

"I bet she does, buddy," chuckling at the memory of Haley using her deep breathing techniques to calm herself, "So, what do you want to do? We can do anything you want."

"Anything?"

"Anything."

"Can we go to the rivercourt?"

"The rivercourt? Why do you want to go there?"

"Because Mommy and Uncle Lucas always talk about how they had their best times there with you. If I go with you, then maybe we'll have a best time too."

Nathan was overcome with emotion and his heart swelled with the feeling of warmth he had felt when Jamie had hugged him last night. He knew in that moment that this was where he was meant to be. He already felt an incredible amount of love for the little boy that had just entered into his life hours ago. This is what he had been dreaming of for the past few years and it was finally coming true. He could only nod his head in acknowledgement of what Jamie had just said and steered them towards the rivercourt.

"Daddy, how come you never came to see Momma and me?" Jamie asked absently as he walked around the court bouncing the basketball. It was two hours later and the frenzied basketball playing had wound down to easy dribbling and random shooting. Nathan had been content to let Jamie ramble on about anything and everything that came to his mind. Occasionally, he would spout off a question for Nathan, but it was nothing complicated. What was his favorite color? What was his favorite food? They would high-five each other when their answers matched, and when they didn't, which wasn't very often, they would end up waxing philosophical for several minutes trying to persuade each other to their side. It was turning out to be one of the best days, like Jamie had predicted, despite the rocky start at Lucas's. But when that question came out of his mouth, Nathan froze and the magic of the day gone. He wasn't the only one that was going to be affected. Jamie had a lot of serious questions that needed answering. How could he possibly answer that question without possibly sounding like a complete ass? Haley told him that she told Jamie that he had been too busy working. What the hell kind of excuse was that? Why did the kid have to be so damned smart? He wasn't prepared for the non-fun part of fatherhood.

"Jamie, your mom told you that I was busy working and that's why I couldn't be with you, right?" Jamie nodded as he continued to mindlessly dribble the ball in circles around himself. "Well, she was right, my work took me away to a lot of different places, and I couldn't be with you and your mom, even though I wanted to be." Nathan winced, he couldn't believe how lame that sounded, even to his own ears.

"Did you miss us?"

"Everyday, buddy," Nathan replied with great sincerity.

"Do you still have to work?" Jamie asked him hesitantly.

"Yeah," Nathan felt horrible at how Jamie's face had fallen at the realization that it might be another long period of time before he would get to see his father again, "but, I won't be working as much, so you and I will get to spend lots of time together."

"Really?" Jamie's face lit up at Nathan's declaration.

"Definitely," Nathan promised as Jamie resumed dribbling. Nathan breathed a sigh of relief. He really had not expected to have to tackle any heavy emotional subjects while out with Jamie. He should have known better. Haley James Scott's child would know just how to bring out the big guns right off the bat. There was no beating around the bush.

"Do you love momma?" Good lord, did this kid ever let up?

"Why do you ask that?" Nathan asked to try and buy himself some time to formulate a coherent response to get himself out of this line of questioning.

"Because she still loves you," Jamie said with a "duh" expression on his face.

"H-how do you know that?" Nathan sputtered out; stunned at the little boy's admission that Haley loved him.

"She has a picture of you that she keeps under her bed. She doesn't think that I know about it, but she looks at it. A lot. She always says 'I'm sorry' and 'Always and forever' to it. And she and Aunt Lindsey are always talking about you," Jamie said.

"Oh yeah? What do they say?" Nathan asked, trying to hide the grin that was threatening to overtake his face.

"Aunt Lindsey always says that Momma needs to stop hiding, and then Momma tells her to shut up and that she'll deal with things when she's good and ready." Nathan had to bite his lip to keep from laughing out loud. That was definitely his stubborn Haley. There was no forcing her into anything until she was ready. His Haley. Everything was so messed up right now, one minute he would feel like he was on top of the world, just within a fingertip's reach of having everything he ever wanted, and the next, he would be consumed with such anger and rage over the past six years and lashing out at everyone around him. He was like a ticking time bomb and he knew it. He was going to have to find a way to get past his anger and resolve his issues with Haley and Lucas or everything he ever wanted would be a distant memory.

"Anything else I should know about?" Nathan asked nonchalantly, might as well get as much out of the boy as he could.

"Yeah, I think Uncle Owen likes Momma." Nathan's heart rate sped up a little at the mention of someone, especially male, in Haley's life that he didn't know. Jamie had said that Haley still loved him, but obviously, she was fighting her feelings. Could this be the guy that has been helping her move on?

"Who's Uncle Owen, buddy?"

"He works at the place that Momma sings at on the weekends. He takes her out to eat after she sings, and sometimes he comes over for dinner. He babysits for me, too."

Nathan's jaw clenched again at the thought of yet another man taking his place in Jamie's life when he could have, should have been there.

"Why do you think he likes your mom?" Nathan prodded, trying to keep his emotions under control.

Jamie made a face, "He's always bringing her flowers. He's always hugging her or kissing her on the cheek. It's yucky." Nathan chuckled at Jamie's distaste for displays of affection towards his mother.

Nathan knew he was probably crossing some moral boundary by pumping his son for information on Haley's love life, but his curiosity was just too strong.

"Yeah, yuck. Does your mom kiss Owen too?" Nathan asked with a laugh, not really sure if he really wanted to hear the answer or not.

"No, she just giggles and moves away from him." Nathan smiled slightly at that piece of information. Maybe this Owen character wouldn't be such tough competition after all.

"Jamie, do you like your Uncle Owen? Is he nice to you?"

Jamie stopped dribbling and came to the grassy area where Nathan had been sitting watching him. He plopped down next to him, holding the ball in his lap. "Yeah, we do fun things together. He takes me to his slam-ball games."

Nathan almost choked. Slam-ball? He had heard of it from his teammate who had just been called up from the minors who had also spent some time in the slam-ball league. Guys that played in that league were huge. Nathan was by no means lacking in the physique department, but he wouldn't ever want to meet any slam-ball player in a dark alley. It was a brutal game and you had to be tough to be competitive.

He was about to ask Jamie another question, when he looked down and saw that Jamie had fallen asleep against him. Poor little guy was probably exhausted. They had been playing around for almost 3 hours straight now, and since he had refused Haley's request for a nap, he was probably going to be out for awhile. Nathan gently moved Jamie so that he was cradling him in his lap and just held him. He spent several minutes just watching his son sleep. His breathing slow and even, the signs of a peaceful slumber. Watching Jamie sleep reminded Nathan of how he used to just lay in bed watching Haley sleep. He often said that when she was asleep, that was when she was at her most beautiful. When she was asleep, she didn't have the stress and worry of the world wearing on her. When she was asleep, she was always so peaceful and content that a smile would appear on her face. When that happened, his heart would skip a beat and he swore that she would never be more beautiful than at that precise moment. He looked down now at his sleeping son and saw that same smile tug at the tiny lips and Nathan's heart soared.

________________________________________________________________________

Nathan knocked lightly on Taylor's front door, being careful not to jostle the sleeping bundle in his arms. He had decided to take Jamie back to Haley to finish his nap, which would provide him a chance to talk to Haley alone.

When Haley opened the door to see Nathan holding a sleeping Jamie, she closed her eyes and wished for a sinkhole to open up at her feet and swallow her whole. She had not expected them to return for several more hours, and Taylor had settled in for a long nap as well, so she decided that a beauty treatment day was exactly what she needed. She had answered the door in a short cotton purple robe; hair piled up on her head in a wet messy bun, and a green mud mask covering her face. Sure, Nathan had seen her in her mud masks before, but that was when they were married and had settled into living together and used seeing each other at their worst. But now it was different, she definitely did not want him seeing her in the current state that she was in.

"Nice, Hales. You always greet people at the door like that?" he asked with a wink and a smirk that was getting bigger by the minute. Although, his smirk wouldn't be the only thing getting bigger if she didn't put on some more clothes. The short robe came down only to her mid-thigh and it was apparent that she wore nothing underneath. If her face had not been covered, he would have seen her face turn a deep shade of red.

"Ah, I wasn't expecting you guys back for awhile. Is everything okay?" she asked, pulling the robe tighter her around herself.

"Everything's fine. I guess Jamie needed that nap after all. Fell asleep right in the middle of the rivercourt. I didn't want to take him to the beach house where he would wake up in a strange bed."

"Sure, let me take him, I'll just take him upstairs." She reached out to take him from Nathan's arms, but was surprised when Nathan pulled back.

"No, I can take him, just show me where."

Haley lead him upstairs to the room Jamie was using while they stayed at Taylor's. After gently laying him in the bed and pulling the covers over him, he planted a gentle kiss on the boy's forehead. Haley felt the tears spring to her eyes as she watched the scene before her. She always knew Nathan would be a great father, but seeing how loving and protective he was already acting, warmed her to her very soul.

He met Haley back out in the hallway, an awkward silence falling over them.

"Ah, I'm just going to go get cleaned up a bit. I was just about to fix something to eat. You're welcome to join me. You can wait out Jamie's nap and then maybe you guys can go have dinner or something. Why don't you go back downstairs and make yourself comfortable. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen," she rambled nervously. Sure, he had acted like nothing was wrong when she opened the door, but who knew which version of Nathan would come out now that they were alone. She wasn't sure if she could handle another angry confrontation like this morning without Lucas or Lindsey acting as reinforcements.

"Don't worry, Hales. I'm not going to bite," he said laughing at her expression of apprehension, and then bent his head so that his mouth was against her ear, "not yet, anyway," he whispered, his voice dropping so low that it sent chills throughout her body. He was gone down the stairs before she could gather her wits about her to retort a reply.

Twenty minutes later she emerged sans mud mask to find Nathan sprawled out on the couch sound asleep with ESPN blaring in the background. Haley silently giggled to herself; guess Jamie wasn't the only one that needed a nap from their morning activities. She set herself on the edge of the couch and watched his even breathing. Her eyes wandered down to his lips; lips that she knew so well from countless hours of kissing. She wondered if they were still as soft now as they were before. She had always wondered how he kept them so soft; she had never seen him use Chap Stick. Maybe she could sneak a quick kiss in; no one would have to know. She leaned forward slowly. The smell of his aftershave and cologne infiltrated her senses, and it overwhelmed her. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. How she loved his smell. She leaned in further and just as about as her lips were about to come in contact with his, when he stirred in his sleep shaking Haley back to reality. What was she thinking? How could she have even contemplated that kissing him would be a good idea? She could not and would not go down that road again, not matter what her feelings were towards Nathan. She covered him with the blanket that was draped over the back of the couch and went into the kitchen to start on a late lunch. What she didn't see was the smile that appeared on Nathan's face after she had left the room.

"Mmm, something smells good in here. Hey where did the robe go? I liked it," Nathan said as he shuffled into the kitchen, stretching from his "nap". He had been awake since he heard Haley come back into the living room. He had been awake when she had leaned over to kiss him, surprised that she hadn't felt or heard his heart pounding through his chest. But he hadn't wanted her that way. He didn't want a few stolen kisses from her done in secrecy, so he pretended to move knowing that it would freak her out enough that she wouldn't finish what she started.

"Oh Nathan! You startled me!" Haley exclaimed whirling around to face him, dropping the spatula she was holding. He covered his mouth to hide the laughter that threatened to spill out as he watched her struggle to pick up the fallen utensil. When she finally got control over the wayward kitchen tool, she turned back towards Nathan, flustered and trying blowing her hair out of her eyes. "Are you hungry? I think I made enough for an army."

"Starved, what did you make?" He settled himself onto a stool across from the stove so he could watch her work.

"Like you even have to ask," she scoffed.

"Of course, what was I thinking? Don't I get a taste? I have to make sure your mac to cheese ratio is even."

"Nope, it's done, so you're stuck with however it turned out." She turned the stove off and placed a plate in front of him.

"Should we get Jamie?"

"Nah, he's going to be out for a couple of hours."

They continued to eat in silence as Nathan desperately thought of a way to begin the conversation he had wanted to have with Haley all day.

"That was great, Hales. Looks like you've perfected your recipe. Just the right amount of both mac and cheese," he complimented, pushing the empty plate away.

"Thanks. I do aim to please." She tried to busy herself with clearing the dirty dishes and setting to work on cleaning up the kitchen. Anything to avoid having to look at Nathan and enduring another awkward silence.

"Hales," he said, his tone growing serious, "We need to talk about this morning and just about everything else, don't you think?" She continued to flounce about the kitchen, pretending not to hear what he had just said. The last thing she wanted to do was re-hash the events of the morning, especially if there was a chance that he was going to get angry again. But try as she might, Nathan was not going to allow her to avoid him. He got up from the barstool and grabbed onto her arm when she tried to get by him once again. He pulled her so that their bodies were facing each other, but she refused to look him in the face. He placed a finger under her chin and forced her to meet his gaze.

"Haley, we have to talk about this," Nathan said softly.

"What is there to say Nathan? You're pissed, and you have every right to be. I don't exactly have a leg to stand on here," Haley cried

"No, you don't. But, I'm sorry for the way I behaved this morning. I just saw how good Lucas is with Jamie and how he knows so much about him and how much Jamie obviously loves him, and I got jealous. They have what Jamie and I should have," he admitted with such sadness that Haley was on the verge of tears.

"You will have that Nathan. Jamie already loves you. It just takes time." She wanted to just die; she couldn't believe that this was happening again in the same day.

"Time?! Christ, Haley-" Nathan could feel his blood pressure rising.

"Nathan, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it the way that it sounded. God, I really suck at this. If you can believe it, I'm just as klutzy verbally as I am physically. Please don't be mad at me," she pleaded with him.

"Alright, Hales. How about we just start over," he said calmly after taking a few deep breaths.

"Sounds good. Where were we?"

"We were just about to figure out a way to get past this."

"Well what do you suggest, cause to be honest, I have no clue where to even begin to make this right for everyone."

"I think the beginning would be a great place to start."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N**- No excuse really, life just got a little out of hand. Enjoy!

**Chapter 7:**

"The beginning, huh. I don't think you have that kind of time."

"It doesn't matter. I want to know everything. Besides, we have until Jamie wakes up. Until then, I'm all ears."

He saw the hesitation on her face as she chewed on her lower lip.

"Look, Hales. You wanted to know how we were ever going to be able to get past all this anger, well I'm telling you. I need to know the truth about everything. I want to know everything before, during, and after. There's still so much that is a mystery. Like, why I was never able to find you, even after I hired private investigators. Or where you've been for that matter. If you can't be honest with me, I'm not sure this is going to work out," he reasoned with her.

"No, you're right. You deserve to know the truth," she agreed, and motioned for him to sit at the table with her.

"Well, let's hear it."

"Well, if we're going back to the beginning, I guess it all started when Lydia and Jimmy decided that they were going to have one las-,"she joked.

"Hales," he groaned.

"Sorry, lame joke," she said sheepishly.

"Yeah, no kidding," he agreed with a smirk.

"Okay. About a month after you left for High Flyers, I started feeling really tired and sick, so Lucas took me to the doctor after I had thrown up during my shift for the fifth day in a row. Of course, Lucas being his usual paranoid self starts grilling the doctor about it being cancer. The doctor started laughing and said, no, I would be fine. This was nothing that wouldn't cure itself in nine months."

"So, Lucas knew you were pregnant even before I did. Great. Let's just have Jamie start calling him dad instead of me," he said, the bitterness rising up in his tone.

"Nathan, he was worried about me. I wasn't going to go the doctor on my own; he practically forced me there. Of course he was going to find out before you. Okay, we're going to have to set some ground rules here. You wanted the truth; you're going to have to be able to handle it without throwing a damn temper tantrum anytime you hear something that you don't like. Otherwise, I'm just going to stop right now and call it a night," she stated firmly.

"Sorry," he said tightly, his the muscles in his jaw working from the clenching he was doing to keep from saying something he'd regret later.

"After the initial shock of being pregnant wore off, I really didn't think it would be appropriate to tell you in a letter or over the phone. I wanted to wait until you were home for good to tell you. Besides, you didn't need any distractions while you were playing."

"That would explain your aversion to fish those few times you came to visit. And it wouldn't have been a distraction Hales."

"Are you kidding me? We were 18 years old Nathan. About to go off to college and we get strapped with a baby. I'd say that would be a distraction. Anyway, I was going to wait until you came home, but I guess I just got too excited for you to know, and I was missing you so badly, I decided to surprise you in Chapel Hill for your last game. Which is why I told you I couldn't make it when you asked me to be there."

"I remember that. I was really pissed that you wouldn't come up to see me."

"You had a really great game that night. I sat way up in the nosebleeds so that there was no chance of you finding me, like you always do. Afterwards, I just sat and waited in the stands, seemed like I was the last one out of my seat, but I couldn't risk you seeing me. So, I waited in the tunnel for you to come out, but you were taking a really long time, the rest of the team had already come out, but you were nowhere in sight. I got tired of waiting in the tunnel and went back to the locker room area to wait for you there. I waited there for a few more minutes and then I really started to get impatient, so I opened the door, and that's when I saw the two of you kissing." She looked away, the tears immediately springing to her eyes. He reached for her hands across the table and he held them, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles. She pulled her hands away at his touch and wiped her eyes.

"Haley, I told you, she kissed me. There is a difference. You said you believed me," he reminded her gently.

"I do believe you Nathan. But that image doesn't easily get erased just because you say it meant nothing. Could you forget if the situation were reversed?" she challenged.

Nathan gritted his teeth, the mere thought of Haley naked with another man was enough to make him nauseous, but she was right. If the situation had been reversed, he doubted that he would have been as quick to believe her side of things, as she had been him. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, and he couldn't imagine the words that had been running through her head after seeing what she saw. He hated that Haley had seen Carrie ambushing him in the shower, and he hated it even more that Haley left before hearing him telling her to leave him alone. She was always forever complaining about what a temper he had, but she could give some lessons herself. If only she could have stuck it out for a few seconds, they would not be in the position they were in now. Fighting to have they life they were always meant to have.

"That's what I thought," she said smugly.

"Go on," he grunted.

"When I saw you two kissing, I thought I was going to be sick. I wasn't sure if it was morning sickness or just the sight, so I hightailed it out of there and proceeded to throw up in the nearest trash can."

"God, Haley."

"Then I drove back to Tree Hill. By the time I got back, I had made up my mind to leave. I went over to Lucas's and asked him to help me. He helped me with the divorce papers, he helped me with changing my name.."

"You changed your name?" Nathan interrupted once again.

"Yes, I had it legally changed and the records sealed. I didn't want anyone to find me."

"By anyone, you mean me."

"No, Nathan. I mean anyone, not you, not Brooke or Peyton, not Karen. Not anyone."

"Why couldn't you have just talked to me, Hales?"

"Nathan, I was angry, hurt, and extremely emotional. I wasn't exactly in the most rational state of mind. Things just got so carried away, and I made a new life for myself, as did you. It was too late to go back."

"Where did you go?"

"Nathan, if you keep asking me questions. I'll never be able to get through explaining everything you want to hear," she said, the growing frustration evident in her voice.

"I'm sorry, there's just so much I want, no, need to know," he said apologetically.

"So after the papers were drawn up and the name change was finalized, I left Tree Hill. I stayed with relatives in Charlotte until graduation, and then they helped me get settled at school the next fall, and then my parents stayed with me after Jamie was born. After college, I got a job teaching English and that's what I've been doing ever since; teaching and raising Jamie."

"Where does Lucas fit into all of this?"

"What do you mean?" she asked confused.

"Why was Lucas so special that he got to be in on the great big secret?" he explained trying not to keep his tone even.

"You can't be seriously asking that question. Nathan, Lucas has been my best friend since were practically in diapers. He was the only person that I could trust to not spill the beans, so to speak. There was no one else I could have gone to," she said hoping that Nathan would stay calm.

"You should have come to me," he told her in a low and even voice that was unnerving to Haley, who almost wished for an angry outburst.

"Nathan, my heart was BROKEN. You were the last person that I could have gone to!" she tried to explain.

"No, Haley, I should have been the first person you came to. You were always the one telling me to always have faith. Always and forever Haley. What happened to that? One little bump in the road and you're history? Where's the faith in that?" he bit back.

"One little bump in the road? YOU WERE IN THE SHOWER NAKED WITH HER! I hardly think that that qualifies as a little bump in the road, more like a damn mountain. Whether or not you kissed her, you allowed yourself to be put in that position" Haley pushed back out of her chair and began pacing around the kitchen. It was hopeless, as much as she wanted to believe Nathan, the stupid image of him wrapped around that whore was just too much for her to handle.

"Allowed myself? You think I wanted her in that shower with me? Haley, I can't control what other people do; only what I do." Nathan said incredulously.

"Why else would she have even thought to go after you if you didn't encourage her?" she asked weakly.

He was about to scream in frustration. What he really felt like doing was grabbing hold of her shoulders and shaking some sense into her. For someone so smart, she could be so clueless sometimes. How was it possible that she was able to say that she believed that he wasn't kissing Carrie, but still managed to have it in her head that he encouraged her advances? Sometimes it amazed him how insecure she could be when it came to their relationship. Her insecurity was at its worst when they had first started to date, she couldn't believe that the great Nathan Scott would ever find anything remotely attractive about bookworm Haley James. It had even gotten to a point where he wasn't sure if there was anything he could do to convince her of his feelings, and he had considered ending the relationship. Luckily, for both of them, Haley had come to her senses when resident trouble maker Rachel Gatina had pushed Haley to her breaking point and forced her to confront the fact that Nathan wanted her and only her. Now, almost 10 years later, he was back to square one.

"Is that what you think? That I made her think that she would have a shot with me? Haley, you should know that I would never do anything like that. I never even talked to her!"

Haley raised her eyebrow at him, a look of utter disbelief settling on her face. "Nathan, be serious. You are the biggest flirt ever. All you have to do is bat your eyelashes at a girl and she's ready to strip down for you."

"Okay, one, I don't bat my eyelashes; two, in no way did I flirt with Carrie. I barely looked at the girl. And the only words to come out of my mouth to her was 'go away'"

"So you're telling me that this girl propositioned you in the shower without any provocation on your part?"

"That's exactly what I'm telling you."

"I don't know Nathan.."

"Haley, you're going to have work with me on this. I can't do this by myself. If we're going to get past this, then we're going to have to get past everything. You said you believed me when I said that that kiss meant nothing, but it doesn't seem like you want to let it go. You're using it as an excuse, but why?"

"I didn't know you changed your name to Dr. Phil," she mumbled sarcastically not meeting his eyes. She was thrown off kilter by Nathan's statements. He had always been able to read her emotions very well, but seeing something that had been buried deep within her soul had her completely unhinged.

Her pacing around the kitchen increased as she refused to look Nathan in the eyes, for fear that he would be able to see more than she wanted him to see. Her constant back and forth was beginning to drive him crazy, why wouldn't she look at him? Finally, he stood up and put his hands on her shoulders to stop her erratic movements. She allowed him to stop her pacing, but still kept her eyes diverted from his own.

"Haley, look at me. Why are you fighting this so hard?"

Slowly, Haley lifted her gaze to meet his, the tears, once again threatening to spill. And then she couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Because...," she didn't want to continue. She didn't want to say what he was about to force her to say.

"Because why?" he prodded gently.

"BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO LOVE YOU ANYMORE!" she finally blew out, the years of anger and resentment finally boiling over.

Nathan's arms dropped to his sides and he took a step back as if he had been suckered punched. He knew that convincing Haley to give their relationship a chance would be difficult, but the thought of her not loving him had never even entered his mind.

"You don't mean that," he said weakly, feeling like he was about to be sick at any moment.

"Nathan, I am so sorry. I really didn't mean for that to come out the way it did," she tried apologetically.

"Then what did you mean?"

"You have to understand, we've been apart for a long time-"

"What did you mean Haley?"

"I meant that it's too hard. _This,_" she said waving her hand between the two of them, "is too hard."

"You can't be serious."

"Nathan, I've loved you since I was sixteen, and all I've got to show for it is heartache and regret. I can't keep doing this to myself. It's not fair to me, you, or especially Jamie."

"How can you say that, you were gone for six years! The time we had together wasn't all bad, we had some good times too. "

"No, but we were living in a dream world that wasn't reality. I gave you my heart when I was sixteen years old Nathan and I don't think that I've ever gotten it back. God, I loved you so much." Her use of the past tense did not go unnoticed, and his heart fell. "We had our whole lives in front of us, college, Jamie, basketball, everything we had ever dreamed of-"

"Haley, those dreams are still there. _Our_ dreams are still our dreams. Nothing has changed," he declared, his tone almost pleading.

Haley shook her head, "Everything has changed. I'm just not the same person that fell in love with you. What we had was wonderful and magical, but it's in the past now, and I think that it's for the best that it stays there. We have to move on from what was and what might have been to what is. We have to concentrate on our son and think about what's best for him. He shouldn't have to suffer because we can't get our act together."

"No. I'm not buying that."

"What is there to buy, Nathan? We had our chance, and we, mainly I, blew it. We can't go back."

"Why not? If I'm willing to forgive and move on, why can't you?" Then a thought suddenly dawned on him. "Is there someone else? Is that why you're so adamant that we can't be together?" He almost choked on the words that had just come out of his mouth. They had sort of just tumbled out of his mouth as soon as the thought had entered his mind. He wasn't exactly sure if he was ready to hear that Haley had moved on from him with someone else. Nor was he sure that he would be able to accept the fact either.

"No, Nathan. There isn't anyone else." She should have lied. She would have rather have him believed that she was happy with someone else than tell him that she loved him, but didn't want to be with him.

"Then why-"

"Momma! Momma! Momma!" Jamie's cries came from upstairs. Haley, glad for the reprieve from having to answer Nathan's questions, pushed past him and quickly ran up the stairs to her son with Nathan right at her heels.

"What's the matter, Jimmy Jam?" Haley asked moving to sit on the edge of the bed, soothing the matted hair out of Jamie's eyes.

"I had a bad dream."

"That's awful! Why don't you tell me about it, might make you feel better." She adjusted herself so that she was leaning up against the headboard, legs stretched out in front of her. When she was situated, she pulled Jamie closer to her so that they were snuggled together.

"Wait, I want daddy to hear too." Nathan hesitated looking to Haley for confirmation. She gave a slight nod, and he moved to the other side of the bed and sat against the headboard as well.

As Jamie wove his tale of the bad dream that had woken him up, Taylor had woken up from her own nap and was attempting to make her way downstairs when she waddled past the open bedroom door. The sight of the family that was situated on the small twin bed almost brought tears to her eyes. No matter how much Haley fought it; anyone with eyes could see how much they were all meant to be together. She walked away before her presence was known, not wanting to break the spell that had fallen over the three.

"…and then the dinosaur started running after me and he ate me!"

"He ate you?!" Haley repeated with mock incredulousness. Jamie just nodded his head in response as he buried his face into Haley's side clutching at her shirt. Haley had to bite her lip to keep from giggling. She knew that Jamie's dream had him scared, but he was just so cute. She looked over at Nathan; he had been quiet for the past few minutes. He was smiling down at Jamie recalling just how much he was like his mother when it came to bad dreams.

_Flashback…_

_Nathan was startled out of his deep slumber when an arm smacked him right in the face. He simply groaned and removed the elbow from the tip of his nose and moved to pull his wife closer to him. However, he was met with a sudden barrage of tiny fists pounding into his chest._

"_NO NO NO NO!" Haley cried out as she continued to thrash around as her nightmare consumed her. Nathan, now wide awake, dodged the flying fists and thrashing body to gently shake Haley awake._

"_Hales, baby, wake up, you're having a nightmare," he said softly trying not to startle her too much. Haley's eyes flew open and she bolted into an upright position. Her chest was heaving with deep breaths and beads of sweat had formed on her forehead. She brought her hand to her chest as if to calm down her pounding heart._

"_Haley, what happened? You look absolutely terrified, it was just a dream, sweetheart," Nathan soothed as he drew her into his arms. "Do you want to talk about it?" She made no response except to bite her lip and shake her head. "Are you sure? It might make you feel better." Haley just slid back down into the bed and buried her face into Nathan's side shaking her head no, her hands grabbing fistfuls of his t-shirt, drawing him as close as possible to her body. He almost laughed out loud at how ridiculous she was acting, but then he noticed that she had started to shake. A wave of concern washed over him, he had never seen her react to a dream like this. He slid down beside her and drew her in as close as he could without crushing her._

"_Hey, shhh, it's okay. It was just a dream. Everything is just fine," he murmured into her hair, rubbing his hands up and down her back. "You sure you don't want to talk about?" She just shook her head again, and he knew better than to push any further. He held her until he felt her breathing evening out and when he looked down at her, she had fallen back asleep. Once he was sure that she was okay, he let himself close his eyes._

_End Flashback_

She never did tell him what the dream was about, but seeing Jamie bury his face into his mother's side just as she had done to him had brought back the memory of that night and it made him realize just how many memories they had together and how something so small could invoke those memories. He was suddenly brought of his daydream, when he felt Haley's foot nudging him. He looked over at her and she just gave him a look that told him to say something.

"Hey Jamie, I have an idea. Why don't we show those dinosaurs whose boss and go have dinner? Jamie's head peeked out from Haley's side. He looked at his father to continue.

"You can have whatever you want-"

"Whatever I want?"

"Of course anything you want as long as some type of vegetable goes along with it," Haley quickly interjected before Nathan could give Jamie complete freedom for dinner. Nathan bit his lip to hold back the chuckle that threatened to escape when he saw the look of martyrdom on Jamie's face.

"So, buddy, what do you feel in the mood for," he asked brightly.

Jamie looked over at Haley with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"I feel like the food of the gods, Momma!"

Haley laughed, "Okay, food of the gods it is!" Food of the gods? Nathan thought to himself, what in the world did they mean by that? It sounded very familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. And then it came to him.

_Flashback_

"_Order your favorite dish for the other person," Haley read off the second card once they were both situated at the table._

"_Any chance your favorite dish is prime rib?"_

"_Yeah, we have a lot of that at my house."_

"_I'm not very experienced with this."_

"_With what? Ordering food?"_

"_No, I mean with Peyton, it was all about parties and games and drama. We never really did anything like this. This is different."_

"_Different…different good? Different weird?"_

"_No, good. I'm really glad you decided to come."_

"_Couldn't you have been into lobster?"_

"_Dude, macaroni and cheese is food of the gods!"_

"_Yeah, if the gods are five year olds."_

_End Flashback_

"So, it's food of the gods you want, huh," Nathan said in pretend thoughtfulness. Jamie looked up surprised.

"Daddy, do you even know what that is?" Jamie asked, eyeing his father suspiciously.

Nathan scoffed, "Do _I_ know what that is? Of course I know what it is. I knew before your mom knew."

"Oh please, you had no clue. If it weren't for me, you'd think that food of the gods was prime rib or something totally gross," she huffed with indignation. Nathan just smirked, which made her irritation grow even more. He loved to get her riled up over the smallest things. She had no idea how hot she was when there was fire in her eyes.

"Whatever you say, Hales," he responded, his smirk growing. Nathan got up off the bed and opened his arms for Jamie. "C'mon little man, I know just the place for your food of the gods."

"Where is that daddy?"

"It's a surprise, but trust me, once you eat here, you'll never want to eat anywhere else."

Haley eyed him suspiciously. There was no telling what Nathan had up his sleeve. She was not usually one for surprises.

"Don't worry, Hales. Once you see this place, you're going to kick yourself for not thinking of it sooner," Nathan said with a wink. He stood up and pulled Jamie off the bed as well.

"Well, let's get a move on…why don't you go get your shoes on Jim Jam, your mom and I will be down in a couple of seconds."

"Okay daddy!" Jamie yelled as he raced out of the room. Haley stood up and started to move out of the room, but Nathan stopped her by reaching to take hold of her arm and moving to close the door. Haley turned to him, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"Just a minute, Hales. We're not finished," he said firmly, staring at her intently.

"What do you mean 'not finished'?" Haley refused to meet his gaze. She knew exactly what he meant, but that was a conversation that she wasn't ready to finish. When Jamie had cried out from his nightmare, she had hoped that it would have been distraction enough to make Nathan forget about their earlier conversation. Apparently, not.

"Don't play dumb. You know exactly what I'm talking about."

"Nathan, let's not do this now. Jamie's waiting on us and this amazing dinner you've promised. Maybe we can talk some more after," Haley sighed.

"Not good enough Hales. You're just going to keep finding an excuse not to talk to me."

"Nathan, please. I give you my word that we will talk later. Jamie is waiting," Haley said impatiently.

Nathan let go of her arm and she moved to open the door to leave the room. Just as she was about the leave, Nathan put a hand to her stomach to stop her momentarily and she felt a jolt of electricity shoot through her body.

He leaned into her ear and whispered, "You can fight this all you want Hales, but I'll be fighting back even harder. No matter what happens, we are meant to be together. Game on Haley James."


	8. Chapter 8

Sorry for the delay! No excuses other than life getting in the way.

Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed!

I own nothing!

Chapter 8

Game on Haley James… Haley couldn't get Nathan's words out of her head as she tried to concentrate on what Jamie was saying from the front seat of Nathan's SUV. How in the world could he contemplate, let alone believe that there would be a happy ending for them at the end of the day? He could barely go two hours without ending up pissed at her. But she couldn't blame him; this emotional roller coaster that they were all on was all because of her. Underneath all the anger and hurt, guilt had started to gnaw at her conscience. Now that she had seen how much Jamie needed his father, she felt like the worst mother in the world for keeping them apart because she couldn't see past her own pain and suffering.

"You're going to chew a hole through your lip if you keep gnawing it on it like that," Nathan smirked at her through the rear view mirror. Haley broke out of her reverie and blushed at Nathan having caught her in her nervous state. She had forgotten that he was able to read her just as well as she could him. Refusing to meet his gaze, she refocused her attention to Jamie, who had been happily chattering away from the front seat.

Ever since he had been strapped in, his mouth had been going non-stop about anything and everything he could think of. Haley had been more than willing to let the little boy have the front seat, if only to ease her own nerves.

"So, can we, Momma?" Jamie asked with enthusiasm turning in the seat to look at her.

"Sure thing, sweetheart," Haley agreed distractedly, not wanting Jamie to think that she had not been paying attention to him. She had no clue as to what he was asking about, but Jamie had never asked for anything outrageous, so she knew that she was safe in agreeing to whatever he had asked for.

"Hales, are you sure about that?" Nathan asked surprised that Haley would readily agree to Jamie's request especially with all the tension between them. Haley's eyes shot forward and she was brought back to reality. Oh crap, she thought to herself, what had she gotten herself into?

"Uh, absolutely. I'm sure it will be great!" Haley said with as much enthusiasm as she could muster.

"It is gonna be great, Momma. You, me, and daddy, we're going to have so much fun!"

"You bet we will, buddy!"

Before Haley could pump Jamie for more information as to what she had just agreed to, Nathan announced that they had arrived at their destination. Haley looked up and a wave of nostalgia washed over her. He had brought them to Karen's Café. Haley got out of the car and just stared at the building that held so many memories for her. She was glad to see that it hadn't changed much since she had last been there. It seemed like another lifetime ago.

"I told you so," he said with a smirk, bringing her out of her reverie.

"Told me what?" she asked confused.

"That you'd kick yourself for not thinking of the place sooner," he reminded with a chuckle.

"Do you see me trying to kick myself?"

"Funny, Hales."

"Come on Momma and Daddy! I'm hungry!" Jamie demanded, growing impatient at having to wait for his parents. Haley and Nathan walked behind Jamie as they entered the café and Jamie immediately noticed Lindsay and Lucas eating in a booth and made a beeline for them. Haley could feel the tension coming from Nathan's jaw and prepared herself for the scene that was about to happen.

"Uncle Lucas! Aunt Lindsay! Daddy brought us here to have dinner because I wanted food of the gods! And Daddy said that he knew the best place for that. But I didn't believe him 'cause I didn't think that he even knew what it was. And then he said that of course he knew what it was because it was his idea in the first place and not Momma's," Jamie rambled exuberantly. Lucas and Lindsay couldn't contain their laughter. Of all the things for Haley to pass on to her son, it would be her tendency to ramble on. Their laughter quickly died down as they saw Nathan and Haley approaching. Nathan was clenching his jaw so tightly that it looked as if it was going to break at any moment, and Haley looked like she was about to have a nervous breakdown with having to keep Nathan's temper from exploding.

"Lucas..Lindsay," Nathan acknowledged with a cold politeness.

"Well at least you're calling us by name," Lucas joked trying to lighten the mood.

"You're lucky--" before Nathan could finish his thought, they were interrupted by the bell above the door chiming, indicating that a new customer had entered the café, followed by a loud ear piercing squeal that could only belong to one person, Brooke Davis. And following her was none other than Peyton Sawyer. Haley was frozen in place. In dealing with the Lucas/Nathan fallout, the fact that both Peyton and Brooke had been let in on her secret, also before Nathan, had managed to escape her. She figured she would have a little bit of time before it all hit the fan again. She figured wrong.

"Aunt Brooke! Aunt Peyton!" Jamie shouted and ran over to them as Nathan stared in disbelief. The girls scooped Jamie up and started peppering his face with wet sloppy kisses causing him to giggle wildly. When they had finished their greeting and set him back down on the ground, he called his parents over.

"Look, Momma, Daddy! It's Aunt Peyton and Aunt Brooke!"

"Jamie, you know Brooke and Peyton?" Nathan asked with a deadly calm, keeping his gaze fixed right on Haley with eyes like laser beams. She, on the other hand, was looking everywhere but at Nathan.

"Uh-huh! They came to see Momma and me at home! I got to spend a whole weekend with them!" Haley was dying on the inside. She could never fault Jamie, but she was wishing that the boy would just shut up right now. Brooke and Peyton just stood frozen, as if they were afraid of sudden movements would cause the delicate situation to explode even further into oblivion.

Before any more damage could be done, Haley snapped back to attention and gathered her wits about her.

"Nathan, I need to speak with you. Alone." He made no attempt to move, he just continued to stare at her, the rage showing in his eyes like flames of blue.

"Now, Nathan!" Haley said forcefully, grabbing his hand and practically dragging him from the dining room of the care and out to the rooftop.

"Nath-" she began, not really sure how to explain herself.

"Who else, Haley?" Nathan demanded. He was not interested in hearing her excuses. For the second time in two days, he had found out that the people closest to him knew not only where Haley was, but knew about Jamie. He was not going to let this pattern continue.

"Who else what?" she asked confused.

"Don't play dumbass with me girly. Who else knew about Jamie and all your secrets before me? Who else got to meet my son before me?" Nathan asked through gritted teeth, desperately trying not to lose his cool.

"Nathan, it's not like you think. I didn't tell Brooke or Peyton anything," she tried to explain.

"Bullshit. How could they have known anything if you didn't tell them?"

"The owner of the club that I sing at remembered me saying that I was from the same town as the owner of Red Bedroom Records, so he sent a recording of one of my songs. Peyton recognized my song and my voice and she arranged a meeting and dragged Brooke up with her. They only found out by accident. It's not like I could lie to them about Jamie when they're standing in my house," she reasoned.

"God, Haley. You didn't think it might be good idea to tell me that Brooke and Peyton knew? And why didn't they tell me they knew where you were, they're just as bad as Lucas!" he exclaimed, the feeling of betrayal evident in his tone.

"Stop that! I asked Brooke and Peyton not to say anything. It wasn't their or Lucas's place to tell you what they knew," she rebutted sharply. She was not going to let him place any blame on any of their friends for her mistakes.

"Well whose place was it exactly then? Lord only knows how much longer you would have taken. Jamie probably would have been married with his own children before I ever knew he existed," he asked quietly.

Haley sighed heavily and plunked herself down onto the lone picnic table that had been on the rooftop since the days of her and Lucas's mini golf adventures. She ran her hands through her hair in frustration. She had no idea how to respond to Nathan. She really didn't want to be drawn into the what-if game with him.

"I don't know what to say to you, Nathan. All I can say that I am a million times sorry for leaving the way that I did and for keeping Jamie a secret from you. You have no idea how much I regret that decision every day. But I can't change what happened. All I can do is move forward and do what's best for Jamie. I'm sorry that our friends had to keep my secrets from you and that you had to find out the way you've had to. I'm just so so sorry for everything," her voice breaking as the tears started to trickle down slowly turning into hysterical sobbing. Without a moment's hesitation, Nathan sat down beside Haley and put his arms around her in an attempt to console her. She felt him start to stroke her hair as he used to do when she was upset and needed comforting, but instead of feeling comfort, she cried harder. She didn't deserve his kindness.

"Aww, Hales, please don't cry. You know I can't handle it when you cry," Nathan whispered into her hair. He used to tease her that she had probably learned to cry on cue just so that she could get her way with him. He shouldn't have had any sympathy for her. She had brought everything on them. But the sight of her hysterically sobbing was more than he could take and his angry resolve melted away.

"Everything is going to be okay," he said trying to provide some comfort.

"H-how c-can you say t-t-t-that?" she managed to stutter out between sobs.

"Because we have to," he replied simply. "One, for Jamie. And two, because we can't keep going around like this. Not if we want to move forward." But his words did nothing to calm her. The tears came harder and her breathing even more erratic. It was when she started to hyperventilate that Nathan cupped her face with his hands and brought his forehead to rest against hers.

"Haley, look at me." Her eyes remained closed. She knew looking into the dark blue eyes that she knew and loved would do nothing to help slow her tears or breathing. "Look at me," he commanded with a little more force, his voice husky. Finally, he was able to see the deep chocolate brown eyes that had entranced him from the first moment he looked into them. There were no words needed as he continued to gaze into her eyes, willing her to calm down. The gaze was intense and they could both feel the electricity flowing between them as they always felt when they were touching. His eyes then moved down to her plump lips that were, as usual, stuck between her teeth. He couldn't take it anymore; he had wanted to taste them since he first saw her back in town. Without further thought, he lowered his mouth onto hers. He could feel her hesitation, but he didn't move, slowly coaxing her mouth with his own. Finally, he felt her lips start to move against his, and he couldn't help the contented sigh that escaped his.

Every instinct in Haley's body knew that she should have pulled away when she saw Nathan staring at her mouth. She knew what was about to happen when he did that. It was his tell-tale sign, but he had been too fast for her. And she should have stopped it before it got too far, everything was already so complicated enough. But, holy moly was this kiss amazing! Nathan had always been a great kisser, and she couldn't decide if it was just because she hadn't kissed him in so long or if this truly was the best kiss that they had ever shared. One kiss. She would allow herself one kiss and then it would stop.

She snaked her arms up around his neck and pulled him in closer to her just as his arms reciprocated by winding around her waist. It was as though they couldn't get close enough to each other, even though their bodies were so pressed together that even a sheet of paper couldn't get between them. The kiss that had started out slow and sweet was starting to grow into frenzied and passion filled. Tongues were battling and hands getting reacquainted with familiar territory. His hands had moved to grip her hips and found bare skin where her shirt had ridden up when she had wrapped her arms around his neck. He let out a growl as his hands kneaded the bare flesh. God it had been much too long since he had felt her bare skin against his. And Haley thought she was going to pass out at the heat that was coursing through her body. Finally, when it seemed as every last bit of oxygen had left their bodies, they broke apart, foreheads resting against the other, both gasping for air.

After his heart and breathing had returned to a more manageable pace, Nathan spoke softly, "We will get past this Hales. We're just going to have to work at it. Besides, we'll be able to really work things out once you and Jamie move in for the rest of your stay."

Haley snapped out of her kiss-induced fog. Wait, what?!

~*~

"…so Momma said that we could move in with Daddy until we have to go home. We're going to have so much fun!" Jamie explained as he chomped away on his fries.

As soon as the words left Jamie's mouth, there was a collective spray of liquid that erupted from everyone's mouths. They looked around at each other in shock as Jamie giggled uncontrollably. Had they heard the little boy correctly? Haley had actually agreed to live under the same roof as Nathan?

"Jamie, are you sure that's what your mom said?" Lucas asked the little boy.

"Uh-huh! I asked Daddy if we could come stay with him. He said okay, but only if it was okay with Momma. And then I asked Momma if it was okay, and she said sure thing!"

The group continued to look around at each other, nobody knowing whether to laugh or be fearful that all hell was about to break loose. Before anyone could say anything, there was a crash from the kitchen and Haley came flying through the door with Nathan right behind her shouting.

"HALEY! Wait, just a damned minute, will ya?" He said reaching out to grab her arm, but only catching air.

"You tricked me! You knew I would never go for it, but noooo you just let me agree to it like a fool!" Haley accused, her face flushed with anger.

"Hales, baby…please be reasonable…" There was an audible inhalation of air as the group watching on in morbid fascination as they braced themselves for the Haley explosion that was about to occur. Apparently, Nathan had forgotten how much Haley hated to be told to be reasonable during arguments.

Haley took a few deep breaths to calm herself down before she spoke, as angry as she was, her mind and body were still reeling from her kiss with Nathan, and she needed to compose herself. She also didn't want Jamie seeing her and Nathan in a full-blown fight. She was also very aware of the audience that they had attracted, and she was definitely not interested in giving them the next topic of discussion for Tree Hill's phone tree.

"Nathan, we will talk about this later. I have to get home to Taylor," she got out through clenched teeth.

"Haley, don't do this. Don't walk away, you always do it!" Nathan pleaded. He thought that he was finally starting to break down the walls that she had built over the years, and now he was on the verge of those walls going right back up. Their kiss had given him hope for their future. No two people could share a kiss like that and not end up together. If he didn't get her talking now, even in her angry state, there was no telling how long it would take him to break them down again. Time was not exactly on his side.

"Yeah, well, it's keeps me from saying things you don't want to hear!" she retorted and stormed out and then remembered Jamie and the fact that they had ridden with Nathan. Nathan, himself, was all too aware of the fact that Haley had left with no way to get home, and he couldn't help the smirk that was growing on his face.

She slowly opened the door and walked back through, her held high, noise pointed to the air. To anyone that didn't know her, she looked very much like she didn't have a care in the world, but to Nathan, he knew better; her telltale blush gave her true feelings away. She was definitely not happy that he had outsmarted her. It wasn't a common occurrence, and on the rare occasions that it did, he didn't let her forget. As soon as her eyes landed back to him, her eyes narrowed at sight of the smirk on his face.

"So help me God, take that smirk off your face Nathan Scott!"

Nathan's hand flew to hide to the smirk that was indeed tugging at his mouth. As much as he loved to antagonize her, it was a total turn on to see Haley all worked up, but this was neither the place nor the time. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of him trying to hide his facial expression, almost daring her to make the next move. She knew that he was counting on a temper tantrum from her, but she was not going to give him the satisfaction.

"Peyton, Brooke, would you mind giving me a ride over to Taylor's?" she asked, her voice dripping with sugar sweetness. Then an idea popped into her head, which was probably going to get her into a lot of trouble, but in the end, would hopefully turn out for the better.

"Hey Jimmy-Jam, how would you like to spend the night with daddy and Uncle Lucas?"

~*~

"HALEY!" both Nathan and Lucas exclaimed. Once again, Nathan looked as though he were ready to explode, and Lucas just stared at Haley as though her head had just fallen off. He couldn't believe that Haley would put them both in this position, especially with Jamie in the middle. But Nathan knew exactly what she was doing. She was focusing on repairing his relationship with Lucas, so that she wouldn't have to focus on what was happening with them.

"That's right, baby. A boys' night just with you, daddy, and Uncle Lucas! Right, boys?" she asked, her eyes narrowing at the both of them in warning.

"Yes," they both mumbled in defeat. There was no way after seeing Jamie that excited that either of them was going to be the one to let him down.

"Good. Jame, why don't you go finish your dinner, and then you can get going?" Haley suggested and he scurried off back to his seat, determined to finish his food as quickly as possible. As soon as she was out of ear shot, she turned to Nathan, a very stern no-nonsense look across her face.

"Now you listen to me. Whatever this crap that you've worked up in your head with Lucas ends tonight. You are going to make sure that that little boy over there has a good time. You are going to make sure that he knows that he is never going to have to choose between his uncle and his father. Do you understand me?" Haley knew she probably had no right to speak to Nathan that way or to make any demands of him at this point, but this was the only way she could think of that was not only going to buy her some time to figure out her next move and help fix the rift between the brothers that was her fault to begin with.

"You can't be-" Nathan started incredulously, but she cut him off.

"Promise me Nathan, or-" now it was his turn to cut her off, he was tired of her calling all the shots.

"Or you'll what Haley? Keep my son away from me for another six years? Hell, why not go for 12?" he challenged.

"Now wait a minute. I know that you feel like everyone's been in on this huge conspiracy against you-" Lucas started trying to keep the peace.

"Save it, Lucas. She doesn't need you to fight her battles for her anymore. She's not yours to protect," Nathan spat at his brother.

"Oh really? And you've been doing such a wonderful job?" Lucas replied sarcastically, his temper getting the better of him in a rare display of outward anger towards someone he was close to.

"I would have been doing a fantastic job if you'd had the balls to open your mouth," Nathan bit back.

"Enough!" Haley hissed in a tone sharp enough to quiet both men immediately. She turned to Nathan. "I am only going to say this one more time, and you will listen and it will sink in through that thick Scott skull of yours. Whether you like it or not, Lucas is and will always be a part of Jamie's life. You will not force my son to choose between his father and his uncle. Do I make myself clear?" She spoke slowly and deliberately, a tell-tale sign that she meant business. All he could do was nod in acquiescence to her demands.

Once she was satisfied that what she had said had sunk in with Nathan, she turned her sights on Lucas. "Luke, you have been so good to Jamie and me, much more than I ever deserved, and I know you're just trying to protect me, but you don't have to do that, not from Nathan. He would never intentionally hurt me." She was speaking to Lucas but her eyes were definitely focused on Nathan.

To the audience that was watching them, her words did not seem anything out of the ordinary, but to Nathan it meant the world. It had always been important to Nathan from the start of their relationship that he would never hurt her. He knew that everyone around her had warned her of his "player" ways and that she would only end up hurt. She hadn't needed her friends' warnings to know that Nathan Scott had a reputation; she knew plenty well on her own and had proceeded cautiously when it was apparent that they shared a connection beyond "just tutoring". He had hated in the beginning how Haley had held back to protect herself, so he had had to do something he had never done before, he had put effort into showing her that she could trust her heart with him. In time he had proven himself and it only served to fuel her love for him. In return, Haley taught him about unconditional love. In his quest to win Haley's heart, he had been plagued by constant insecurity that he would never be good enough and that he would end up hurting her like everyone said he would and there were times where he had definitely tested his limits, but Haley had stuck with him through thick and thin.

_Flashback_

"_Haley, I know I'm driving you crazy!" Nathan insisted as they sat on a wooden bench outside the café. The past few days had been particularly difficult for the couple as they both grappled with their developing relationship and what it meant for them individually. He was literally at his wits' end as to what else he could do to convince Haley that he was trustworthy. He had been on his best behavior all week longing, showering her with attention and affection. So much so that she had started calling him "Stepford Boy". By week's end, he was wound up so tight that he had nearly beaten his best friend, Tim, to a bloody pulp for making typical male innuendos about Nathan and Haley in the locker room._

"_No, you're not Nathan," she insisted._

"_Do you really think that I'm going to end up hurting you?" he asked softly, his vulnerability evident in his eyes._

"_Don't say things like that."_

"_Well, what do you think?" he pressed._

"_I think that you're my boyfriend, and I like spending time with you. And I don't want to force you to be someone that you're not," she admitted._

"_But you're not.."_

"_Yes, I am. Nathan, you are so scared of screwing up that you're barely acting like yourself, and I know that it's because you think that you have to be this perfect boyfriend or you'll end up hurting me. And it's obvious that this thing with us means a whole lot to you, but I just don't want you to end up resenting me because it seemed like you had to be something or someone you're not. But sometimes I can't help but get scared. Just like I can't help that I've fallen in love with you, and I trust you with all of my heart, and I know that you would never hurt me intentionally. I love you, Nathan, and it scares me, but there it is," she said with great sincerity. This was it, the moment where she laid it out all on the line for him. She didn't care about the warnings that everyone had given her about him. All she knew was that for the first time in her life, she didn't feel the need to play it safe. She loved him and wanted to be with him. _

_Nathan thought his heart was going to beat right out of his chest. He had wanted to tell Haley that he loved her for so long, but held back so that he wouldn't freak her out even more, and here she was telling him that not only did she trust him, but she loved him._

"_Wow," he blew out a cleansing breath, "there it is._

_Before she could say another word, he pulled her into a kiss filled with all the sweetness his soul could muster. Never before had a kiss so fulfilled him because it was filled with love._

_Nathan pulled away just long enough to whisper, "I love you, too," before returning his lips to hers._

_End Flashback_

"So what's it going to be? Are you going to suck it up and act like adults or do I have to disappoint Jamie?" Haley asked her voice returning to a no-nonsense tone, the moment broken.

"Okay, okay. You win, Hales. I'll be on my best behavior…as long as he is, too," Nathan said sending a pointed look at Lucas. Lucas nearly scoffed at the insinuation that he would be behave any less, but stopped when he saw Haley's face and only nodded in agreement.

Haley smiled sweetly, "There, I knew I could count on you boys."

"Jamie! Are you ready to go?" she called out. He came running towards the group. When all the details had been arranged, the two brothers left the café, each holding the hand of the little boy that meant so much to them. Haley looked at them longingly wishing that the picture of happiness was her reality. She was snapped out of her trance when Brooke came up behind her and smacked her on the ass.

"Way to go Maniuplator-girl! I never knew you had it in you to play dirty! You totally got him to forget about you and Jamie moving in with him with this little boys' night you concocted" Brooke claimed with an impressed tone.

"Brooke, I wasn't playing dirty. Whatever Nathan's dealing with is with me, not with Lucas," Haley pointed out sensibly knowing very well that was indeed what she had done. She shot a dirty look towards the snickers and fake coughs that were coming from Peyton and Lindsay earning her a smug smirk from Brooke when she turned back around.

"Well, whatever. Now that the testosterone is gone, we're going to have our own girls' night!"

"Ugh, Brooke, I'm not really up for-" Haley began, but Brooke held her hand up to stop her words.

"There's no getting out of this one. We've got a lot to talk about, especially since Naley is on the agenda!"

Lindsay looked at Peyton confused and mouthed, "Naley?" Peyton just shook her head in a "don't ask" fashion.

"Good, it's settled, we're going over to Taylor's," Brooke announced.

Haley, Peyton, and Lindsay all looked at each other with a look of resignation. There was no stopping Brooke Davis from getting what she wanted. They were in for a very long night.


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Notes:

I own nothing besides the storyline.

I truly apologize for the length between posts. The creative flow comes and goes along with real life getting in the way.

The first part of this chapter may seem out of place, but it will provide some insight and indication of where the story is headed. I apologize for any mistakes, but I really wanted to get this out and posted.

Content for this chapter is mature.

Enjoy!

Chapter 9:

_Flashback_

"_Great run-through girls! Hit the showers, you've got the rest of the afternoon free until tonight's game!" The whistle blew signaling the end of practice, and the girls began to gather their things and head towards the locker room._

"_Do you want us to wait for you?" a petite blonde asked the tall brunette who was still in the shower. That day's practice had been particularly brutal and the hot shower felt extraordinarily good._

"_Nah, you guys go ahead. I'll just meet you in the cafeteria when I'm done. Besides, I think the guys are still scrimmaging, and I want to get a look before tonight's game," she replied from behind the curtain._

"_Haha, you don't want to get a look at the guys, you want to get a look at one guy. Leave the poor guy alone. He's married, you definitely don't want that on your karma," she advised with a chuckle._

"_I can't help it if he made a mistake. But who better than me to help him realize the error of his ways?"_

"_Just be careful. You don't want to get kicked out of the camp just because you're lusting after some hot shot player. It would ruin your career if you got kicked out."_

"_Please, what career? There's nowhere to go after this camp for us. But the boys, now they're going somewhere. And I'm going to make sure that Nathan Scott is going to take me along for the ride. Literally and figuratively."_

"_Well just be careful, and don't say we didn't warn you."_

"_Yeah, yeah. I'll be just dandy when I'm the wife of an NBA superstar."_

_Once the rest of the squad had finally left, the dark brunette finished her shower and headed out to the boys' arena to catch the last few minutes of practice. When she entered the gym, her eyes immediately began to seek out the object of her desire. She made sure to stay in the shadows of the bleachers to avoid being caught again. She was already on thin ice after having been caught once before watching the boys play, specifically Nathan, and she wasn't going to chance losing her opportunity to get close to him before camp ended. _

_She stood there and watched, completed transfixed by his movements. The combination of athletic grace, arrogance, and pure talent made him the player that he was. He was by far one of the most gifted players there and everyone knew it. Nathan Scott had been on fire at that camp and everyone wanted to get a piece of him, especially the dark haired girl watching him._

_Her fascination with the handsome player began the first day of camp at orientation, one of the few times that both groups had been put together. The beginning of the orientation included an introduction of all the players and cheerleaders to congratulate everyone for being accepted into such an esteemed program with each person being introduced individually to the collective audience. The introductions had been designed so that when someone was introduced, they would walk up to the podium area and would be handed all their practice and game uniforms. The girls had been concentrating on listening for her name that she didn't notice the person coming in late and slipping into the empty seat next to her. Finally, when she heard her name called, and not realizing that a pair of long legs were blocking her, proceeded to trip over them. She was well on her way to falling flat on her face when she felt a strong arm catch her about the waist. When she regained her footing and looked up, she was met with the bluest pair of eyes she had ever seen._

"_Oh my god. I am so sorry. These seats and long legs don't seem conducive to letting people through easily. Are you okay?" he asked, his voice laced with concern._

_She could only nod her head in response as her eyes continued to sweep over him. Not only did he have the prettiest eyes, the rest of him wasn't so bad either! And if she hadn't been so enraptured in staring at his muscular chest through his snug t-shirt, she missed the gleam of gold that adorned his left finger_

_Nathan flashed his trademark smirk as though it was only natural that she would be not only rendered speechless in his presence, but also blatantly checking him out. Most girls wouldn't have hesitated to fall for his charm at that point, and the cheerleader was no different. _

"_Are you sure you're okay…," he trailed off embarrassed at not having remembered her name since it had just been announced. _

"_Carrie. My name is Carrie."_

_The buzzer sounding brought Carrie out of her reverie and she waited patiently for the rest of the team to file into the locker room before she made her presence known. Weeks of observation had shown her that Nathan would always lag behind to get those extra few minutes of practice in. She had never approached him before, just watched him, but today was going to be different. She had to talk to him if she was going to have a fighting chance with him before camp was over. When the gum had become silent again except for the thumping sounds of one lone ball, she stepped out from the shadows._

"_Hey," she called out just as he started to release the ball, startling him enough that he sent the ball flying over the goal._

"_Shit!" he cursed turning towards her with a frown._

"_Sorry, didn't mean to break your concentration," she apologized sheepishly._

_His face remained passive as he went to retrieve the ball from the stands. She wasn't sure if he had heard her and was about to say something else when he finally spoke._

"_It's okay. I was just about done here anyway." _

_He started to walk towards the locker room._

"_Wait!" she yelped. He turned with a bewildered expression on his face. _

"_I just wanted to let you know that I think you're an amazing player, Nathan," she said._

"_Thanks…" his face obvious that he was searching his brain, trying to come up with a name._

"_Carrie. My name is Carrie, " she supplied quickly; although a little disappointed that he hadn't remembered her name. _

"_Well, thanks again. I'll see ya around." He turned to walk away, and she reached out and put her hand on his arm to stop him. He immediately recoiled from her touch, and his face darkened with anger._

"_I really don't want to be an asshole here, but you're kind of forcing my hand. I am happily married and nobody, especially you, is going to make me change my mind. Now please, just leave me the hell alone!" he bit out._

_Carrie inwardly winced at the "especially you" part of his tirade, but recovered quickly. She was not so easily deterred. All he needed was a little convincing that being married really wasn't for him. Seriously, who gets married at 17 and stays married?_

"_C'mon, be serious Nathan. How happy could you possibly be? It's okay to admit that you're not happy. I understand that some slut lied about being on birth control probably trapped you, and you want to do the right by staying true, but you don't have to. Not everyone that has a kid has to get married…" he didn't give her a chance to continue._

"_Who the fuck do you think you are? How dare you make assumptions, not only about me, but my wife as well? You know nothing about me and that's they way it's going to stay," he snarled at her and stalked off not giving her a chance to reply._

_As she watched him storm away, her eyes narrowed in determination. She knew guys like him never really changed their ways. All she had to do was try a little harder and he would be hers._

_End Flashback_

The sound of crying brought the young mother out of her thoughts. Tiredly, she mad her way over to the rickety crib and picked up the fussy child. Rocking back and forth in an effort to calm the child, she wondered how much longer it would be until she finally had what was rightfully hers. If she had her way, she would head right for him and show him that this baby was a result of their love and that they belonged together.

"Don't worry, baby. Daddy will be with us very soon," she cooed soothingly to the child, mesmerized by the intense blue color, a shade of blue that could have only been an inherited gift from his father.

_Tree Hill_

"So, buddy, what do you feel like doing?" Nathan asked Jamie once they had gotten settled. The car ride had been quiet with the occasional comment or question from Jamie. Lucas, in an effort to maintain the peace had mostly kept the conversation between Nathan and Jamie, only answering to the boy's questions that were specifically directed at him.

"I dunno, daddy. What are we supposed to do at a boys' night?" he asked shrugging his shoulders.

Nathan chuckled, "It means we can do whatever we want. We can be as messy as we want, eat whatever we want, and play whatever we want."

Jamie's eyes widened. "You mean no vegetables? Momma says I always have to eat my vegetables.' He eyed his father suspiciously, as if the thought of not having to eat vegetables was just a fantasy.

"Not tonight, if you don't want to," Nathan confirmed.

"Whoa..well, what do you want to do Uncle Lucas?"

"Whatever you want, Jame," Lucas replied.

"Can we play with daddy's hoop on the driveway?"

"Sure thing buddy. I'll just go get my ball," Nathan said as he left the room.

As Nathan started back into the kitchen, he stopped short when he heard Jamie ask Lucas a question that broke his heart.

"Uncle Lucas?" Jamie started hesitantly.

"Yeah, bud?" Lucas replied with his head stuck in the refrigerator looking for water for the three of them.

"How come Daddy didn't want me?"

Lucas's head shot up with a thud. He had definitely not been expecting a question like that.

"What makes you that your dad doesn't want you?" he asked, rubbing the sore spot on his head.

"Because he doesn't live with Momma and me. Chuck at school says if a daddy doesn't live with you, then that means that the daddy doesn't want you," the little boy explained, the sadness in his eyes apparent.

"Well, this Chuck is an idiot. Jamie, your daddy loves you very much. You know your mom told you your dad was working, that's why he couldn't live with you," Lucas explained, hoping that it made more sense to his young nephew than it seemed to sound in his own ears.

"But everyone else's daddies work and they still get to live at home," Jamie pointed out.

"Well, little man, your daddy has a very special kind of job. You know that. But don't you ever think that your daddy never wanted you. He loves you very much. Understand?"

"Yes, Uncle Lucas," Jamie said, but the still troubled look in his eyes told Lucas that he wasn't entirely convinced of his father's affections. The only person that could ease Jamie's insecurity was standing in the doorway. Lucas looked up and caught Nathan's eyes and all Nathan could do was nod in understanding.

For the rest of the night, Nathan seemed to have put aside his anger towards Lucas and concentrated on giving Jamie a fun night to remember. They shot around until they could no longer see the basket, allowing Jamie to lead the flow of conversation. They reminisced as Jamie asked several questions about their history as brothers and their history with Haley. It had been a good night, and Nathan, for the briefest of moments, allowed himself to feel all the happiness that he would be feeling as if this was an everyday occurrence, playing ball with his brother and his son.

Once Jamie was finally in bed, the two brothers sat down with a couple of beers and a game of NBA Live.

"Thanks for what you said to Jamie earlier. Haley made it seem like Jamie understood when she explained my absence to him," Nathan said, his eyes never leaving the television screen.

"I don't think she knows that he is feeling this way. He's already so protective of her, and he's also very perceptive for his age, hell even for our age, so he's learned that talking about you makes her sad, and he doesn't want to be the cause of that. And kids that age, they say stupid things to each other," Lucas replied, his eyes also never leaving the game. If having the game as buffer allowed Nathan to open up and talk to him without throwing punches, then they were going to play all night even if it killed them.

"Why'd you do it, Luke? Why did you help her keep him away? Why did you help _her_ away? You're supposed to be my brother!" He couldn't seem to stop the slew of questions that left his mouth. They had been plaguing his mind ever since he found about Haley and Jamie and Luke's involvement. He'd never had a chance to ask them since every time he saw Lucas, all he wanted to do was throw a right hook his way. But tonight, he had finally reached a level of calmness that allowed him to finally discuss everything.

"Nate, you have to understand one thing: Haley has been in my life for forever. She's been my family ever since we were little, even before I knew you existed. When she told me what happened when she went to surprise you at High Flyers, all I could think about was protecting her and making the hurt she was feeling go away. At the time, I really believed that you had really hurt her, so I was going to do everything in my power to make it easier for her," he paused to take a breath and to gauge Nathan's reactions. When it seemed like fists were going to stay where they were, he continued.

"Then when I found out about Jamie, I really tried to get her to look past her anger and tell you, but you know how stubborn she can be."

"Then why didn't you tell me?"

"One, it wasn't my place. It was something you needed to hear from her. Two, I did threaten her once with telling you, and she threatened me right back saying that she would disappear again. I had no choice, she was calling all the shots, as usual."

"I'm really trying to understand your point of view, Lucas, I really am, but I still don't get how you could go all these years and act as if nothing was wrong."

"Believe me, there were times when I really wanted to beat your ass, but Haley made me promise not to. She said it was more important for us to be brothers."

Nathan turned his attention back to the game. He was definitely on emotional overload and needed some time to process Lucas's words. Was it really that easy to bump fists and pretend that everything was okay? He wanted nothing more than just to pour his guts out to his brother; his fears about being a good father to Jamie, his heartache at having missed so much already and not knowing his own little boy, how he wanted nothing more than to really be a family with Haley and Jamie. But he just couldn't trust that if Lucas was able to hide something this big from him, then what else was he hiding, and even worse, would he do it again if Haley tried to run again.

"Are we cool?" Lucas asked hesitantly, not quite sure what to make of Nathan's silence. He hated how disconnected he felt from his brother and hating it even more because it was all because of him. The only other time he could remember them being this at odds was when they didn't even consider themselves brothers.

"Luke, you're my brother, and that's never going to change, but for right now, we are not cool. I am so thankful that you were able to be there for both Haley and Jamie, but the truth is, it shouldn't have been you, it should have been me. It should have been me that kissed her when she found out she was pregnant. It should have been me that helped her through her morning sickness, gone with her to all the doctors' appointments. It should have been me that went with her to whatever those breathing classes are called. I should have been able to watch my son grow in her stomach and argue over whether or not we were going to find out if it was a boy or girl and then argue some more over names. I should have been there by her side when he was born and been the first to hold him. I missed everything, Luke. _Everything_, and I can't ever get that back. And now, there is a little boy upstairs that thinks that I didn't want him. How am I supposed to fix that? Would you be _cool_ if you were in my shoes?" he took a breath and continued before Lucas could respond.

"It should have been me, Luke. You and Haley took that away from me and away from Jamie. You're my family, and I love you, but I just can't trust you. I can't trust that the next time Haley freaks out that you're going to have both of our backs."

Nathan had to fight to keep the tears from falling down his face as he finished his emotional outburst. Everything had been bubbling inside him and it had all come spilling out at once because he hadn't been able to express himself before. The people that he would have usually confided in were the same people that had caused this whole mess in the first place.

Lucas was speechless. He knew Nathan had been struggling with everything, who wouldn't, but he did not expect everything to come pouring out all at once.

"I'm so sorry, Nate. I know it sounds flippant and underwhelming since I'm the one that has the words for everything, but there aren't any words right now except for I'm sorry. Haley and I made a terrible mistake and we both know it. I just hope that one day we can look past it all and forgive each other," Lucas said quietly.

"No, man. I shouldn't have laid all that on you like that. I know you thought you were doing what was best for Haley in the beginning, but you should have found some way to do what was best for me too. It's going to take some time, but I know we're all going to be okay," Nathan offered a small smile and held out his fist. It was a small gesture but it meant everything to Luke, who immediately bumped his back.

"Besides, everything will be much better once Hales and Jamie move in, and I can convince them to stay for good," he said, his mood brightening at the prospect of Haley and Jamie under his roof. It didn't take long for his trademark smirk to reappear on his face.

"When you convince them to do what?" Lucas nearly choked on his words. He knew Nathan had always had a habit of getting ahead of himself, but this was a little ridiculous. Had he forgotten the strength of Haley's stubbornness?

"Luke, I've lived six years without them. I can't stand that they're only a few minutes away as it is. I won't survive if they leave again, even knowing where they are. No. I won't live like that. We are meant to be together as a family. And we will be," he declared with great determination.

"Do you really think you'll be able to convince Haley to turn their lives upside down and move back to Tree Hill?"

"It won't be easy," Nathan admitted, "but she won't be able to resist the Scott charm for very long. Besides, I know for a fact that she still loves me."

"And how do you know this?" Lucas knew this was true, but he was curious as to how Nathan had come to the same conclusion.

"Jamie told me," he replied simply. Lucas nearly bit his tongue off trying to contain his laughter. His brother, Mr. Ladies Man, was taking relationship advice from a five year old.

"So, you're using your own kid to spy on Haley?"

"Hey, he offered the information," Nathan stated in his defense.

"Yeah, I'll bet," Lucas replied with a chuckle.

"Who's Owen?" Nathan suddenly blurted out. Ever since Jamie had mentioned him at the rivercourt, Nathan had been dying to learn more about him. Lucas eyed him suspiciously, trying to figure out if he was trying to trap him.

"What do _you_ know about Owen?" he asked in return.

"Jamie mentioned him when we were out the other day, mentioned that he played slam-ball and was always trying to kiss Haley," the last part coming out as a sneer. Just the thought disgusted him.

"Easy there, Rocky. Owen's a good guy. He works at the bar that Haley sings at; helps her out watching Jamie and such," Lucas said, purposefully not acknowledging the kissing reference, hoping that Nathan would let it go. Of course not.

"And the kissing?" he pressed.

Lucas sighed, "Okay, yeah, he's totally into her."

Lucas debated with himself whether or not he wanted to elaborate further and was about to just let it sit, but Nathan's intense glare encouraged him to continue.

"From what Lindsey's told me, Haley's in denial about his feelings towards him. She doesn't want to hurt him, so she just ignores it when he gets too affectionate-"

"What?" Nathan exploded.

"Calm down! I'm just telling you what I know and what YOU asked."

"So, they're not dating?"

"No."

Although Nathan's mind was somewhat at ease knowing that so far Haley had rejected this Owen loser, the little voice in the back of his head couldn't help but wonder if it was only a matter of time before she realized that Owen would make a better father for Jamie and a better husband for her. Hell, he was already more of a father to Jamie than he was. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He had a long battle ahead of him, and he didn't need his own insecurities getting in the way

"Have you forgiven her?" Lucas's voice was quiet as he broke Nathan out of his thoughts.

"What?"

"You heard me. Before you go pouring on the Nathan Scott charm on her, you'd better be sure that you're really and truly past everything. You can't keep pulling this hot and cold act you seem to have going on with her. Telling her you love her one second and then yelling at her the next. You can't have it both ways, Nate. I just don't want you to rush into anything and then everyone ends up even further apart than before," Lucas explained gently, not wanting to come across as unsupportive.

"I won't lie. Some of the things that comes out of that girl's mouth, just make me want to shake the daylights out of her. And yeah, parts of me are still mad as hell because all this happened because of a stupid misunderstanding. But then, I see Jamie, and I see her holding Jamie, and I want to be the one that's holding them. That's where I belong, Luke. All this extra shit doesn't matter as long as we work through it together. My life doesn't work without them. _I_ don't work without them.

Lucas was dumbfounded. He had never seen his brother express such raw emotion before and for the second time that night, he was unsure of how to respond. But he was now convinced that Nathan was determined to have the life he had always dreamed of, and that was a life with Haley and Jamie.

"I'm really glad to hear you say that, little brother. You both deserve to be happy..together," he said with a smile.

Nathan was about to respond, but the soft pitter-patter of little feet interrupted him.

"Daddy?" came Jamie's small sleep laden voice with a slight tremble. He was not used to being away from his mother in a strange house, and even though his father and uncle were nearby, he needed his mother's comfort to assure him.

"What's the matter, buddy? Did you have a bad dream?" Nathan asked as he opened his arms and pulled the little boy into his lap.

"I miss Momma, when is she going to be here?" Jamie asked with a slight whine, burying his face into Nathan's neck.

"Momma's having a girls' night with Aunt Brooke, Aunt Peyton, Aunt Taylor, and Aunt Lindsey. You'll get to see her in the morning," Nathan explained.

"Is girls' night like boys' night?" the little boy asked, ever curious.

"Yup, but instead of doing fun boy stuff, they do yucky girl stuff," he said making an exaggerated face of disgust causing Jamie to giggle, music to Nathan's ears.

"Like what?" Jamie continued to question.

Nathan thought for a moment and came to the conclusion that he had no earthly idea as to what exactly girls did at their slumber parties. He looked to Lucas for help, who in turn shrugged his shoulders, he was just as clueless. How could he not know what went on at these parties? He and the team had busted in on enough of the cheerleaders' parties during high school, but of course, he had been more concerned with the girls rather than what they were doing. Then, a thought occurred to him that would satisfy their curiosity and Jamie's need to see his mother.

"How would you like to see your Momma AND find out what they do at girls' night?" A mischievous glint coming into his eyes. Lucas also grinned at his brother's implications. He himself had been privy to crashing a party or two in his time, and this one would probably go down as one of the all time greatest crashes.

Jamie's eyes lit up like Christmas morning. He could tell just by the looks on the two elder Scotts' faces, whatever they had planned was going to be a lot of fun.

"Okay, fellas. Here's the plan…"

"What are you guys doing here?" Taylor exclaimed from her perch on the couch as the women poured into her house.

"Impromptu girls' night thanks to Haley's scheming," Brooke sing-songed as she plopped down into a chair.

"Hey! I was NOT scheming!" Haley retorted.

There was a simultaneous eye roll between the group that had been at the café.

"Oh puh-lease! There was major scheming going on. If it wasn't a scheme to get out of talking to Nathan about moving in with him, then it was a scheme to get Nathan and Lucas together to get over their shit," Brooke scoffed.

Haley opened her mouth to deny it all, but couldn't. Her friends knew her too well.

"Wait, what? You're moving in with Nathan? When the hell did this happen? You weren't gone _that_ long!" Taylor exclaimed in confusion, hating that she missed all the drama.

Haley sighed as she sat down next to her sister.

"Apparently, while I was spaced out in the car, Jamie asked if we could stay with Nathan, and without knowing what he was saying, I just said okay. And, of course, Nathan just lets it happen."

"Well, duh, little sister! Superstar's got it bad for you. You've been gone for years without a trace. You really think he's going to let you out of his sight?" Taylor said with a roll of her eyes now at her sister's denial.

"That's it!" Haley exclaimed, startling everyone.

"What's it?" Peyton asked confused.

"I can't go live Nathan! I'm supposed to be taking care of Taylor. I'm so stupid! I don't know why I didn't think of it before!" Haley breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Hales, why are you fighting this so hard? He loves you, you love him-"Lindsey started.

"I don't-"

"You love him, Jamie loves him, and now you know that he didn't cheat on you," Lindsey started again, but was interrupted once more by both Brooke and Peyton.

"What?"

"We are so totally lost over here. I told you we should have come sooner," Brooke said pushing an elbow into Peyton's ribs.

"Well long story short, if that's even possible, apparently Nathan wasn't kissing that nasty skank. She ambushed him in the shower, and if I had stuck around, I would have heard him yell at her and throw her out," Haley shrugged sheepishly.

"And you believed that? That's awful convenient timing," Peyton remarked with disbelief.

"No, he was telling the truth. I can tell when he's lying. He starts tugging on his ring," Haley said matter of factly.

"Okay, well whatever, what does that mean now? Are you going to get back together? Are you coming back to Tree Hill?" Brooke fired at her friend.

"No, Brooke, we are not back together…" she didn't have a chance to finish.

"Why not?" This time it was Lindsey breaking in, attempting to finish her earlier thoughts.

"Because too much time has passed. Because I kept his son a secret from him," Haley excused weakly.

"That's bullshit and you know it," Taylor chimed in.

"Okay, enough! We are done talking about Nathan. Brooke, you wanted a girls' night, so we are going to have one and that means no more talk about boys.

"As I tried to say earlier, you still love each other, there's no reason for all of you to get over the past and move forward as a family," Lindsey pressed on ignoring her.

"Yeah, Tutor-girl, what's holding you back?" Brooked asked, eyeing Haley shrewdly. Along with her eye for fashion, Brooke had a seemingly sixth sense for reading people and it only increased with her friends and family.

"Nothing," she lied, biting her lip.

"Liar, spill," the brunette demanded.

"Okay, fine. FINE! I love him! I love him so much that it kills me not to be with him. I love him so much that it did nearly kill me when I thought he had betrayed me. I love him so much that I nearly lost Jamie before he was even born 'cause I couldn't pull myself together. I can't, no, I won't ever lose myself like that ever again. Not even for Nathan," she burst out.

"But, he didn't-"

"Exactly."

"Huh?"

"Don't you see? It's not a matter of whether he did or didn't. Just the reaction I had at the mere possibility was-"

"Normal! Normal for anyone in love!"

"Unhealthy. No one should ever be that lost in someone else. And I'm not going to be. Ever again," Haley stated resolutely.

Everyone just stared in stunned silence. If anyone was a champion for true love, it was Haley. To see her and Nathan together would melt even the iciest of hearts. To hear her so cynical and so shut off from her emotions was very unsettling. They didn't know how to respond. It was like they were in an alternate universe.

"Now, if it's okay with everyone, I'd like to drop the subject of Nathan Scott for at least one night," Haley said with a raised eyebrow, daring anyone to defy her.

"Great, now that that's settled, we can get this party started," she continued when everyone remained in a silent agreement. "Well, Brooke Davis, this was your idea, did you have anything else planned besides bugging me about Nathan?" she directed at her friend, eyebrow raised once again.

"Of course I did!" Brooke replied indignantly. Truthfully, she hadn't but she wasn't about to let Haley know that.

"Well, what's this grand plan?" Haley asked.

"All in good time, Tutor-Mom, all in good time," she said mysteriously as an idea popped into her head.

"OKAY! I NEVER…did it on the football field with the sprinklers on," Peyton said drunkenly, giving Haley a devilish grin, who in turn rolled her eyes and took a drink from her cup.

Apparently, Brooke's idea of a good time was to revert back to high school with a rousing game of I Never. And it seemed that this particular edition had evolved into "let's only use things Haley did with Nathan. Even Lindsey had been able to contribute with what she remembered from Haley had mentioned to her. This had been going on for nearly an hour, and Haley, never being one to hold her alcohol, was already swaying while she was sitting down.

"Okay, guys, that's enough! Either start sharing the wealth or I'm out," she slurred. Taylor had long gone to bed claiming that if she couldn't partake, then she wasn't going to subject herself to other people's drunken antics.

"Alright, alright, sorry sorry! She's right, we need to take it easy," Lindsey said to both Brooke and Peyton.

Brooke rolled her eyes, "Fine. Okay, I never-"

"Ugh, I don't feel so good, you guys, I think I'm gonna-" Haley bolted out of the room covering her mouth, barely making it to the bathroom before she emptied her stomach into the toilet.

"Geez, Haley. You don't look so good," Peyton remarked when she reappeared a few moments later.

"Whose fault is that? I'll be okay, just give me a few minutes, "she said laying face down on the couch.

"Suck it up Tutor-girl! Okay! New game! Truth or dare. Lindsey, you first," Brooke bossed. She was like the damn energizer bunny.

"Um, dare?" she said nervously. She didn't notice Peyton shaking her head no until it was too late.

"I dare you to streak down the street!" Brooke cackled at her perceived ingenuity.

"Shit, Brooke, I didn't know we were back in high school!" Peyton griped.

"Oh, fine. Spoilsport. Lindsey, truth or dare."

"Truth, definitely truth," she wasn't about to make the same mistake twice.

"On a scale of one to ten, how good is Broody in bed? And you have to be honest, cause I'll know if you're lying, having been there, done that and all, ya know."

"Brooke!" Haley and Peyton screeched out at the same time.

"No! It's legitimate!"

"I'll answer. Definitely a ten! He does this thing with his-"

"His tongue? Yeah, that was always a crowd pleaser. Does he still use his finger to-"

"EWW! I don't need to get sick again!" Haley whined.

"Okay, I think we're done with the games for now. Brooke, don't you have samples form your new cosmetics line with you?" Peyton asked trying to divert the brunette's attention.

"Ooh, yes! Be right back." She skipped off in search of her bags to retrieve said cosmetics. Haley shot Peyton a grateful look.

Thirty minutes later, with green avocado masks covering their faces, the girls were dancing wildly around and singly loudly along to the Spice Girls' Wannabe. When the song ended, they each collapsed to the floor giggling uncontrollably.

"Now, THIS, is a girls' night!" Haley said breathlessly.

"Amen!" Lindsey agreed, raising her cup into the air.

"You know what would make it better?" Brooke asked.

"No, what?" Peyton asked, already dreading what was about to come out of her friend's mouth.

"Nathan-" WHAP! A large pillow to the face, courtesy of one Haley James, stopped her.

"What! Was that for?" Brooke demanded.

"Trying to bring you know-" It was now Haley's turn to be whapped in the face, this time courtesy of Lindsey.

Before she could even ask, Lindsey said, "That's for being in denial." Suddenly, a pillow came flying into the back of Lindsey's head, catching her off guard and sending her face first on the couch. The two remaining upright turned to stare at the curly blonde holding the offending object.

"I didn't want to be left out," she said shrugging sheepishly. Brooke looked to Haley with a raised eyebrow. Haley then looked to Lindsey, sending the same message silently. Lindsey nodded and stood up and armed herself. Peyton stood nervously as the three women, pillows in hand, started to move towards her.

"Look, Lindsey. I'm sorry. I really am. I didn't mean to-" she didn't have the chance to finish her speech as the pillows began their assault, feathers beginning to fly everywhere, sounds of laughter filling the room. All the while, unbeknownst to them, three pairs of identical blue eyes watched them through a side window, completely fascinated by the scene before them.

"Daddy, what are they doing and what is that green stuff on their faces?" Jamie whispered.

"Looks like they're having a pillow fight, and I have no clue what's on their faces," Nathan whispered back, completely aware that right now the girls, especially his girl, were playing out every male's preconceived ideas about slumber parties and pillow fights. The only difference being that they weren't in their underwear.

"Okay, Jame, you remember the plan?" Nathan asked barely able to tear his eyes away from the scene to look at his son.

"Yup!" he nodded enthusiastically.

"Okay! Let's do this!"

They started to move into their positions, when a blood curdling scream stopped them in their tracks.

"Brooke! What the hell?" Haley bit out, her ears ringing.

"There's someone at the window!" she yelped out.

"Brooke, this is Tree Hill. There is no one-AHHHHHH! There is someone at the window!" Haley screamed as she turned towards the window and found three faces staring in.

"LUCAS EUGENE SCOTT!" GET YOUR BONY ASS IN HERE RIGHT NOW!" Haley roared when she had gotten her bearings and recognized the squinty eyes of her best friend.

Lucas winced at the use of his middle name. He looked helplessly at Nathan and Jamie. Nathan, a panic stricken look on his face, was ready to make a run for it, but a giggling Jamie had wiggled out of his father's grasp and was already making his way towards the front door. Lucas shrugged his shoulders and started to follow his nephew. They had already been caught, might as well face the firing squad now.

When the two grown men reached the door, they were met with four angry green gaced women, each with their arms crossed over their chests and raised eyebrows, just daring them to attempt an explanation.

Lucas and Nathan were both looking down at their shoes, neither one wanting to incur the girls' wraths first.

"Hi Momma!" Jamie said giggling as he bounced up the porch steps.

Haley kneeled down and scooped him up into her arms. "Hey, baby! What are you doing out this late?" she asked sweetly, her eyes still trained on the two brothers.

Jamie nuzzled into her neck and whispered, "I really missed you, Momma. Daddy said you were having a girls' night, and I didn't know what that was. So he and Uncle Lucas said we would come over and-"

"Visit! We told him we could visit," Lucas interjected quickly. As grateful as he was to Jamie for diffusing Haley, he couldn't very well let the boy tell them everything that they had been planning, or there would definitely be more hell to pay.

"Well, geez, Lucas, why couldn't you guys have just come to the front door instead of being all pervy and peeping through the window?" Lindsey demanded.

"What's pervy, Momma?" Jamie asked confused.

"Nothing you need to worry about, baby," Haley said, shooting Lindsey a dirty look.

"We're waiting! What were you doing spyin on us through the window?" Brooked commanded impatiently.

"Uh, Jamie saw you guys through the window and we stopped for a look," Nathan mumbled.

"Oh, he finally speaks! And really, Nathan, hiding behind your son?" Brooke scoffed.

"Momma, what's that green stuff on your faces?" Jamie asked innocently, once again saving the elder Scotts' behinds unknowingly.

Haley froze when she heard Jamie's question. They all froze, completely aware now that they had forgotten the green masks in all the craziness.

"Oh."

"My."

"God."

"SHIT!"

And just as quickly as they had come out the door, the group of women, and Haley holding Jamie bolted inside. Lucas and Nathan, barely able to hold their snickering in, started to follow them, but were met with a door slamming right in their faces.

"Don't even think about it! The only Scott boy allowed in this house is already in here, and that's Jamie. So, buh-bye!" came Brooke's voice through the door as Lucas had his hand on the door handle.

"Well, what do we do now?" Lucas asked, turning to his brother, who was grinning like the cat who just swallowed a canary.

"This is Taylor's house."

"Yes. I know this."

Taylor, as in Taylor James."

"Yeah, so what's your point?"

"All the James' keep a spare key. And if I'm not mistaken, that heavy looking plant, really isn't a plant. I'm willing to bet my career that there will be a key underneath it," he said smugly.

Lucas walked over to the pot skeptically, but was surprised to find that Nathan was right. It was indeed a fake plant that was used to hide a spare key.

"Well, big brother, what are you waiting for? Time to crash the party," Nathan said with a smirk as head started for the front door.

They entered the house to find everyone back in the living room furiously wiping their faces clean with towels.

"I can't believe we just went out there with all the junk covered all over our faces!" Peyton exclaimed.

"Well, it's not like we had a lot of warning. Tweedle dumb and tweedle dumber took us by surprise," Brooke snotted.

"Which, we are totally getting them back for this. I wonder how much they saw," Lindsey asked aloud.

"Enough to see _if you wanna be my lover…_," Nathan chimed in, mimicking their dancing and singing in high pitched tone.

Their heads whipped around to face them.

"How in the hell did you get in here? And what is it with you Scott men and spying?"

Lucas held up the key.

"Stupid Taylor. The one time she actually has to follow what her family does," Brooke grumbled.

"Where's Haley and Jamie?" Nathan asked noticing their absence.

"It's way past Jamie's bedtime. She's putting him to sleep," Lindsey said with a pointed look.

Without a second glance, Nathan bolted for the stairs and followed the sound of soft singing to Jamie's room.

Nathan sood in the doorway and watched Haley sing their son to sleep. He couldn't help the smile that crossed his lips. There was just something so natural, so right with the scene of perfection before him. He always knew that Haley would be a great mother, but she was beyond any expectation he could have ever imagined. He started to dream of the life that would have been theirs. Would they have had more children by now? Would there be a little girl for him to spoil as he would her mother? He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't hear her finish the song and move towards the door.

"Nathan! You scared me!"

"Sorry, I came looking for you when you weren't downstairs," he explained easily.

"Yeah, it was way past his bedtime. Tsk, tsk," she teased gently.

"It was all his idea," he said with a smirk.

"Yeah, I'll bet," she said rolling her eyes.

An awkward silence fell upon as neither one knew exactly what to say.

"Nathan, about earlier, I'm sorry if it seemed like I was trying to avoid you. I just wanted Jamie to have a fun night with his dad and uncle," she started to explain.

Nathan looked at her face and started to chuckle.

"You're laughing at me when I'm trying to be serious?" she asked incredulously.

"I'm sorry, Hales, it's just…"

"Just what,"she said her eyes narrowing.

"You still have some green stuff…"

"Oh my god. Where is it?" she demanded, swiping furiously at her face, getting everywhere but where the leftover masks bits were.

"Hang on, just let me…" he murmured and moved closer to her. He reached out to grip her face. Using one hand to hold her head in place, he used his thumb to wipe the spot on her jaw. Haley's eyes closed at the feel of his hands on her skin. And even though, he had long removed the spots, his hands still remained on her.

"Haley," he whispered, inching his face closer to hers. Before she had a chance to gather her wits about herself and stop him, his mouth was on hers. And whether she liked it or not, her body was already responding to his kiss. What she had been denying herself for so long, she could no longer as she felt the warmth spread throughout her body. He felt her arms twist around his neck and he was relieved that she didn't pull away, instead pulling him closer. And like their previous kiss, what had started out sweet and slow quickly turned into hot and frantic. He felt her tongue swipe at his bottom lip and he immediately granted her access and almost died when he felt her soft sweet tongue connect with his.

When he felt like all the air had left his body, he reluctantly removed his mouth from hers and began a slow descent that started at her jawline and moved down to where he knew the weak spot on her neck was. He felt the gasp leave her body when he reached that point and focused all his attention on that one spot, licking and gently biting on it, driving her wild as he knew it would. The sensation of her fingers winding through his hair as she held his head in that exact spot was driving him just as crazy as he responded by increasing the intensity of his ministrations on her neck.

Just as his hands were starting their own journey from her waist up towards her chest, the sound of laughter floated up from the downstairs, a harsh reminder that they were not alone. They jumped apart, their chests heaving. Nathan could see the hesitation starting to creep back into Haley's eyes; he had to act fast. He roughly pulled her in for another kiss while at the same time walking them backwards across the hall and into the nearest room, which was, luckily, the room that Haley was staying in, and kicked the door closed, his lips never once leaving her body.

Haley had half a mind to scold Nathan for thinking that he could get away with his caveman antics, but the other half, the half that was currently reeling from having him so close to her, found it incredibly sexy and only served to fuel her desire. His hands once again began to move from her and upwards to her chest, as if they had never been interrupted. This time he also grabbed the hem of her shirt and swiftly removed the offending fabric. He was thoroughly surprised that she wore no bra and growled in appreciation as he couldn't help but to immediately take one soft peak into his mouth and the other into his hand. Any doubts in her mind were gone as she felt his mouth and hands on her naked chest, and she, herself, quickly went to work on shedding Nathan of his own shirt. Her lips moved to his sculpted chest as soon as the shirt was gone. She created her own trail of kisses from his chest to his neck and began to suck hungrily on the spot right below his ear that she knew would be his undoing. As her mouth moved in one direction, her hands sought out their own desire the other way moving down the front of his shorts and kneading his already rock hard member as best she could through the fabric.

He hissed the instant he felt her hand on him and tried to pull away. Any more of that and the night would have been over before it begun. She looked at him in confusion, taking his sudden movement away as a sign that he wanted to stop.

"Bed. We need the bed," he panted out in an attempt to gain back some control over his body. She nodded and moved to lie on the bed, her hair fanning out around her. He couldn't help but stare at how beautiful she was.

"Are you coming or not?" she purred. Shocked at her boldness with the double entendre, he needed no more invitation as he quickly moved to lay next to her on the bed, his hands immediately reaching for the waistband of her pajama pants while his mouth attached itself to the nearest bit of flesh he could find. Haley's own hands went back to Nathan's pants, frantically trying to get the button and zipper undone.

"God, Nathan," Haley moaned as his fingers entangled themselves in her soft velvety folds. Her hips instantly arched upwards as he slid a finger inside of her and began an erotic motion rhythm that had her writhing in complete ecstasy.

Haley felt like she was about to spontaneously combust with desire. Nathan definitely had talented hands, but that's not what she wanted.

"Tell me what you want, baby," he whispered throatily into her ear as if reading her mind, as he continued to move his finger in and out of her. He would love nothing more than to replace it with a more…substantial body part, but he needed to hear her say it. He almost gave in when he felt her hand grab hold of his length and began to mimic his movements with her own.

"Tell me!" he demanded.

"I…want…you," she replied almost desperately. Why in the world was he teasing her at a time like this?

"God, Hales. I want you so bad. I've wanted this for so long, and now we can have it. Now we can have everything. " He reached up for her hand and brought it to rest on his chest where is heart was.

She felt as if a bucket of cold water had been splashed onto her, bringing her senses back to her. She pushed Nathan off of her and headed for the door leaving a bewildered Nathan on the bed.

What in the hell just happened?

_Thanks for reading! Leave me some love!_


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